The New Queen
by SmileyBottle
Summary: Izuku dreams of travelling the world, saving everyone with a smile like the stories her mother told her of the Heroes of Yuuei, but she is quirkless and friendless, only having the two boys of the Nomad Tribes that come by every spring, but it all changes when her mother reveals her secrets and Izuku is sent away to her destiny to fight the Nameless King. But why her? [Rewrite]
1. The Nomad Tribe

SmileyBottle: Hey there guys! I know I haven't updated my other fic, but I really don't know if I will go back to it...

But well you are here to read another fic for BkDk, no to read my excuses, so enjoy! and don't forget to review, it helps me a lot!

Kisses my lovelies!

* * *

The place where Izuku lives is a peculiar one.

Of course, she doesn't have anywhere else to compare it to, but for her, the possibility of magic was at least not a hundred per cent traditional.

The stories her village's ancients recount is that a long time ago a baby was born on the North of Creslia, the Island little Izuku called home. An Island far away from any other land.

This baby was born different from any other. He shone with a bright light that no one knew where it came from.

After him, many others were born with unusual gifts as exceptional and bizarre as they could get. The population of Creslia started calling those abilities 'quirks'.

And having a quirk became the normality.

Izuku, however, didn't have one of those, even many generations after.

She suffered from it.

The kids in her small village in the South liked to call her useless. Push her around and even use her as a target to practice their quirks.

Her mother spent much of her time telling her that she wasn't worthless and would, one day, achieve great things. Yet the woman wouldn't let her go farther than the village boundaries, telling her the monsters bred on the dark lands to the North would take her away.

Izuku had heard many stories about the monster to the North, in a city long ago called Berne, the birthplace of magic, and read even more stories about their king.

A man without a name that enslaved and controlled the magical creatures born there. A man who turned those innocent and magical creatures into monsters. Would use them to attack the people that stood in his way, destroying the land in its wake.

But little Izuku wasn't afraid, or you could say that her curiosity overshadowed any fear in her young heart. Always making her go a bit farther away from the city's boundaries.

Why should she fear the monsters that were all the way to the North when she was in the far South? Why would they come from so far away for her of all people?

So she would take her mother's rusty, old sword that would hit the back of her legs as she walked for being too big, to at least have something to protect herself if anything did happen and would go for a walk, discovering each day a new bit of the land.

One day, though, on a spring morning, five years old Izuku found something new on her secret walk.

Nearby a river, a group of people wearing strange clothes were setting up camp. They all wore many pieces of jewellery off all colours and shapes. The men had their torsos bare; the women had their chests and hips only covered by thin multicoloured fabrics.

The uncommon sight of so much skin would have made Izuku blush if she wasn't so awed by it all.

The ordinarily tall green grass had been crushed to the ground by heavy boots, and the soil had been stabbed by the multicoloured tents' corners.

There were so many of them she couldn't see the end of it.

Kids her age were playing around, she noted when she got closer, curious about who those people were and how they appeared out of nowhere.

She did remember they hadn't been there the day before when she passed the river.

A shriek made her eyes focus on a set of kids quickly coming out of the maze of tents. A boy, with long fingers, running up to her, a flying boy right behind him. By their faces, they were being chased by something quite terrifying.

The first thing she thought was that a monster was following them.

However, nobody around seemed disturbed about the fact that it appeared their younglings were being chased.

She stayed in her spot so as they went past her, she noticed what was on their pursuit.

And it didn't at all look like a monster.

An ash-blond boy, with far more gems than any other around, was the one following them. He had his hands behind him, making explosions that propelled him forth.

Straight at her.

She closed her eyes as he hit her with full force, and they went trundling down the grass. When they came to a stop, their short limbs tangled, his body crushing hers, big ruby eyes shining with anger at the unexpected appearance of this strange girl in his way, making him lose his prey from sight.

"Who the hell are you?" He yelled at her, making her open her eyes, startled.

When their eyes locked, his expression was replaced with one of confusion.

His chubby cheeks went pink, then he jumped out of her bringing her up to her feet with him.

"Izuku Midoriya," she murmured, looking away at the hostile boy, fearful he would use one of his explosions on her.

"What?"

"My name is Izuku Midoriya, and you?" She asked, gazing back up at those ruby eyes, even though her face was turned downward.

"Ah, I'm Katsuki Bakugo, what are-"

"What a cool name!" She cut him right off when his voice was free of rage, her own anxiety giving place to curiosity again. "Are you guys, nomads? It must be so cool to live anywhere in the world! My dream is to one day go anywhere and save people!" She blabbed, waving her little hands around.

He scowled at her as the words tumbled from her mouth.

"Why don't you?" He asked, and it was apparent he genuinely didn't understand.

"Oh, uhm… I… I'm quirkless. And Mother says that monsters from Berne would take me away," she admitted, her hand on the back of her head, curling her green locks around her finger.

He stared down at her, then broke down laughing.

"Why are you laughing?" Her hand was back down, the pouty look she gave him only made him laugh harder.

He chuckled some more before answering, "you come here from wherever the fuck you live, with a shitty sword that you surely can't even lift and on top of that you are quirkless? You should have been… called… Deku…? Why that face?" He trails off.

The passion that sparkled in her eyes caught Katsuki out of his guard. She was glaring, resentment clear on the juvenile features.

"Of course, I can lift my sword! Why would I walk around with a sword I can't lift? That would be stupid!" She cried out.

"Then prove it!" He crossed his arms, frustrated by this girl's antics already.

Izuku huffed.

She dusted her dress from the grass that had stuck to it, bracing herself.

She took in a long breath, grasped the handle of the weapon and with a sharp tug, she was barely able to free the blade from its sheath and not whack herself with it.

And she still had enough strength to point it at Katsuki's chest.

His eyes went wide then chuckled again.

She accompanied him right after, glad to see she could take the sword out.

What? She had lifted the weapon many times before, got scolded for it nearly as much, but she had never tried to take it out when it was strapped around her shoulders! Not that he needed to know that.

"Prince!" They both looked up to see a black-haired boy who was wearing a far too big scarf around his neck, running towards them. "Prince! Fast get away from her! I'll protect ya!"

The boy jumped in front of Katsuki, his arms stretched to the sides, his body hardened.

Izuku quickly put her sword away, fumbling a bit, the word 'prince' not being processed and inspected the boy. The black hair upon his head, his red eyes sharp waiting for an attack, his whole body turned into rock.

"Get out of here, Hair-for-Brains! She isn't attacking me! And if she was, I could easily take care of it!" Katsuki said, trying to shove the boy away.

"But she had her sword-"

"I dared her to take it out, you moron!"

"Oh!" He unhardened his body, then bowed at her, a smile plastered on his face. "I'm Eijiro Kirishima, I'm sorry youn' lady for this misunderstandin', it's my job to take care of his Highness, Prince Katsuki."

"Prince? You are the Prince of the nomads?" Her eyes went wide. She tried to courtesy but stumbled on her feet and nearly fell face first in the grass, again.

He looked away grumbling, then nodded.

"And who are ya?" The other boy asked.

"I'm Izuku Midoriya, I'm from Olind, the village in the forest." She pointed at the mass of trees behind her and seeing the sun getting precariously close to the treetops, she said, "I should get going, Mother is going to ground me if I'm late, can I expect to see you guys tomorrow?"

She had just met the boys. Didn't know anything about them. But Katsuki hadn't mistreated or hurt her after discovering she was quirkless.

She was really hoping she could make some friends.

"Of course! We'll be right here waitin' for ya!" Kirishima said with a smile, showing off his sharp teeth.

Katsuki's red eyes were blown open in shock.

He went to protest when she said, "bye, Eijichan! Kacchan!" And ran away, leaving the ash-blond with a cackling Eijiro.

Izuku ran back as briskly as she could. She knew, however, that where the sheath was hitting her legs was going to get a wicked bruise, one she wouldn't be able to hide from her mother.

When Izuku got home, she found her mother at the door, her dark eyebrows furrowed.

"Where were you, Izuku? It's nearly dark!" Her mother took her hand and brought her inside, looking around to make sure there wasn't anything strange. "And why do you have that sword?"

"Please, mom, don't ground me! I was just walking around! And I met some kids from a nomad tribe! They-"

"You went out of the village? You know that it's dangerous… wait… a nomad tribe?" Her mother asked her voice now a whisper, some of the worry leaving her eyes.

"Yes! They wore those funny clothes and had lots of jewellery!" The little girl mimicked, really hoping this would make her mother calmer.

"Where, Izuku?" the older woman grabbed her daughter by the shoulders, eyes searching.

"Near the river, why?" the girl cocked her head to the side.

"Go take a bath and eat, Izu, mommy has something to do." Inko took her sword and went out, leaving the young girl alone and confused.

The Midoriya mother and daughter lived in the outskirts of the village of Olind, the most southern settlement in Creslia. Known for absolutely nothing.

They didn't get any visitors, and everyone knew everyone personally.

The people only kept up with things happening outside of their borders because of the merchants that came every week.

And Izuku and her mother weren't viewed that well.

Inko Midoriya was the first and only visitor they had ever had in generations. She had been pregnant with Izuku when she arrived and didn't talk about who she was and where her husband was.

Many thought she was a witch.

And everything just got worse when Izuku didn't get a quirk.

Izuku felt guilty. Inko didn't say anything about it, but the young girl was sure her mother would've preferred a calmer and not quirkless daughter.

So, this time Izuku obeyed without question, not wanting to make her mother more worried than she might already be.

When Inko came back, she was fully grass-and-mud-free and belly full. The woman had a small smile on her features, the worry that had lingered totally gone.

She got close to her daughter, set the sword on the table and said, "it's okay to go see the kids of the tribe Izu, they are our friends." And she went back to her room, still smiling.

Izuku went to bed with a hopeful lilt to her smile.

* * *

Early the next day, Izuku got up and went to meet up with her new friends, trying to disregard the mocking shouts from the other children as she crossed them.

Eijiro and Katsuki were precisely where the first said they would be.

The black-haired boy had a big grin showing his wolf-like teeth as Katsuki paced around him.

If the crushed field under his feet was any indication, he had been doing that for quite a while.

When the blond saw her, he ran towards her, mini explosions going off in his palms.

"Why didn't you tell me your mother knew mine? And how the hell do they know each other? The damned old hag didn't want to tell me!" He spat on her face.

She stopped dead as she had continued her way back towards Eijiro. "I didn't know, my mom doesn't tell me much about the people she knew or her life in general before she had me."

The little boy sighed in despair and rage.

"Well, it doesn't matter. How 'bout we give ya a tour." Eijiro grinned, his pointy teeth glinting. in the sunlight

She nodded, eyes twinkling with wonder.

Katsuki grumbled loudly.

Ever since Izuku learned how to write, her mother had given her a journal to write and draw on.

So, while they guided her back towards the campsite, she took it out of the bag she had across her chest and began to record everything she saw and heard.

They showed her around. The little market. Hundreds of tents. The healing centres. Sparring grounds.

But in the heart of the settlement, there was a crimson tent that was bigger than any other. It even had elaborate embroidery covering it from top to bottom.

By its opening was an older, female version of the boy beside her.

The woman had a red top that only covered her breasts, a fabric covering her hips, high, brown boots on her feet and a fluffy looking cloak on her shoulders.

And such piercing red eyes.

"Mornin', your Highness!" Eijiro bowed.

"Hey, old hag," Katsuki growled under his breath.

"Is that the way to talk to your mother and queen, brat?" The queen asked, striking her son's head, then she looked at Izuku who was somewhat hiding behind the boys. "So, you must be the famous Izuku Midoriya I've been hearing about." She got closer to her, the boys getting out of the way. "I'm Mitsuki Bakugo, Queen of the Nomad tribes, and mother of that firecracker." She pointed at her son with a smirk.

Izuku was apprehensive. She had never addressed a queen before. So, when she started to talk, it came out as nothing louder than a whisper, "Hello, Your Highness, how do you know my mother?"

The woman chuckled. "Your mom did say you were a curious little thing." She crouched down to the girl's eye level. "Your mother and I met when she was travelling to your village after some monsters attacked her home," she explained, somehow deciphering what the girl had said. "And we helped her get there."

Izuku looked away, lost in thought. The young girl had never heard about that attack and now was wondering why.

"Why don't you boys take her to the Dragons' Den?" Mitsuki offered, changing the subject before the little girl asked questions she couldn't answer.

"The what?" Izuku asked, forgetting about her mother's secrets for a minute when the word dragon was uttered.

Katsuki and Eijiro shared a smirk and ran away, Izuku hot on their trail.

The boys took her to a meadow farther away from the colony.

There she found dragons, more than a hundred of them. Adult size, baby size and all the sizes in between. Their multicoloured scales were shining in the sun, she even saw one that made the grass near it shine the colours of the rainbow.

She stared at the gigantic beasts, her green eyes wide, but not big enough to capture all of it.

They slowly walked to a tent to the left, inside they found eggs of many colours and as big as their heads.

"Are those... dragon eggs?" She asked, getting closer, her mouth hanging.

"Yep, our people are known to have many of 'em," Eijiro explained.

"We have all kinds of dragons," Katsuki said, inflating his chest and getting closer to one group of eggs, precisely three of them. "Here there is a stone, fire and earth dragon." He pointed at the grey, red and green eggs, respectively. "These are the ones that should be born any day now."

"What types of dragons exist?" She asked, sitting down beside the nest, admiring their intricate patterns and trying to write as much as she could.

The boys followed her actions, both flopping to the ground. "There are ten types of dragons," Eijiro explained, "Fire, Sand, Light, Earth, Water, Mystery, Jewels, Ice, Dark and Rock." He counted on his fingers.

"I know they are magic, but what do they do?" She cocked her head.

"Each one can control something," Katsuki said, rolling his eyes. "The Firedragon can control fire and so on, all of them are quite common, mainly the Fire, Water and Earth ones but the Mystery and Dark dragons can only be found in the dark lands, but even there they are pretty rare."

The kids fell into silence at the mention of anyone's nightmares, the Dark Lands.

Izuku didn't understand how a man could be so evil like the Nameless King to burn kingdoms, enslave races until nobody knew anymore how they were before it and kill so many people just because he could and wanted to show the extent of his power.

The silence, however, was broken by a crack and a shake coming from the eggs. The three kids were back on their feet in an instant.

The stone dragon's egg was the first to crack open. The little dragon was the same colour as its egg but shinier. His eyes though, were a beautiful red, that locked into Eijiro.

The dragon broke away from his shell without a problem. Working his way towards the redhead and nesting at his feet.

"Looks like you are a mother!" Katsuki said, his lips pressed into a thin line.

Then the fire dragon's egg cracked, and smoke came from the cracks.

The shell burst out, leaving the red dragon with golden eyes staring at the kids.

His glowing eyes settled in the ash blond.

They locked eyes, and the little thing's pupils turned to slits, defying him. But when the little boy just bared his teeth at it, the dragon wobbled his way to him, then clumsily climbed up his leg, arms and nested on his neck, his bat-like wings brushing against Katsuki's scalp.

"Looks like ya too bro." The boys chuckled.

Ultimately, was the earth dragon's shell. The cracks were formed slowly as if the creature inside it wasn't strong enough to get out.

Izuku moved to help, but Katsuki held her hand and shook his head.

They stared at the egg. After some cruel minutes, the baby dragon got out of its shell, falling on its back, its wings sprawled around it.

Differently from the other dragons, this one wasn't born the same colour as its egg, it was a light purple, dotted with emerald scales. Her big green orbs locked with Izuku and the little girl fell in love. She let go at Katsuki's hand and got down on her knees, holding her arms up, the dragon ran awkwardly towards her and dived in her arms, curling in on itself when Izuku folded her arms and humming adorably.

"Wow, it's the first time I see a purple earth dragon, do ya know what it means, your Highness?" Kirishima asked, getting nearer to the said dragon, his own dragon trailing right behind.

"It's half Mystery Dragon," the Prince said in awe, "we found it in the North, it must be one of those strange breeds," he concluded, leaving the other two to stare at the little baby dragon in Izuku's sleeves.

"Well, I'm goin' to show my parents the dragon and go mark 'im, ya guys should mark yours too," Kirishima stated, lifting the stone dragon from the ground and walking away with it, after waving at them.

"Mark them?" Izuku inquired, puzzled, still clutching the tiny animal in her own little arms.

"It's when we put a name on a dragon that chose you, making them yours," Katsuki explained, huffing. "But I don't think it'll be good if you mark yours, you not being from around here and it being a mixture and all, but let's ask the old hag."

They shuffled their way back the way they came. Izuku noticed how the fire dragon was all curled up around Katsuki's neck and the small smile the boy had in his face. He was as scary as she had first thought.

When Mitsuki saw them, she smiled. "Well, I see you came bearing gifts."

"Can she mark the dragon?" Katsuki cut right to the chase.

Mitsuki ignored the unrespectful way her son talked to her and inspected the strangely coloured dragon. "A breed, huh?"

"Yeah, Mystery and Earth, now can she mark it or not, old hag?" He tapped his foot, the little dragon on his shoulders holding his head high, both glaring at the queen.

Mitsuki stared at the dragon, then her intense red gaze fell into Izuku as if she was comparing them.

But then she sighed a long breath and smiled smugly at her son. "Of course! The only dilemma is that we can't leave a dragon here in the forest. So, someone would have to take care of it when we start travelling again at the end of spring." She turned towards Izuku. "And you have to know breeds are more fragile than normal baby dragons and it would be your duty to make it powerful enough for these first vital months."

The kids shared a glimpse. Izuku pleaded with her eyes, and he grumbled again, saying he would take care of the damned bred dragon, only if she came every day to take care of it while they were there.

Katsuki brought her back to where the dragons were. Right behind the nests, there was a man with a list.

When he noticed Izuku and the little thing in her arms, he frowned but didn't object.

Maybe it was the scowl on Katsuki? Or was it the smoke coming from the dragon around his neck?

It didn't matter as the dragons were marked. Rohy for the Fire dragon and Indry for the Earth/Mystery dragon.

Izuku and Katsuki spent the rest of the spring training the dragons. The little girl would bring her journal and write everything she could about them.

Sometimes it would be just the both but occasionally Eijiro and Rycun, the stone dragon, would join them in the meadows.

They would help them walk and fly, feed them but also make them interact with the other dragons.

And by the end of spring, Indry was strong enough to hold her own weight in a flight and didn't need all-day supervision, and Rohy was already spitting small tongues of flame.

But the problem was that Izuku and Katsuki had become inseparable, to the point that even their dragons wouldn't leave each other.

So, when the time came for them to say goodbye, the little girl cried her emerald eyes out.

"Don't cry, damn Deku!" He yelled.

"Don't call me that!" She mumbled for what felt like the millionth time.

"Then stop crying!"

"But I'll miss you guys!"

"We'll be back soon! And when we are, you better be here, Indry will miss you!" He grumbled, crossing his arms and looking away.

She nodded frantically then kissed Indry, patted Rohy on the head and finally hugged him, making sure she crushed some of his bones under her small arms.

**Then she let go of him, dried her eyes and ran away, not seeing the little tear from the boy's own eyes.**


	2. Our Past Full Of Secrets

Izuku was tired.

Her mother was keeping secrets from her, and she was going to discover them now, even if it was the last thing she did.

She had known about the existence of those secrets for ten years now, but ever since she had turned fifteen, the older woman became more and more fidgety as if scared Izuku would grow another head that would consume the other one at any minute.

So, one morning, after months of it, Izuku cornered her mother and demanded truthful answers.

"I don't see what you want to know Izuku!" Her mother had tried to avoid the girl by entering their small bathroom and slamming the wooden door in her daughter's face.

But the teenage girl was persistent. After days of it, her mother had sighed and made her sit at the table in their small house.

"What do you want to know?" She asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Where are you from? What did you do before you came here? Why don't you want me to go out of the village out of the springtime? Why do you have a sword even though you don't know how to use it? What do you hide in that chest up in your room? And… well… who is my father?" She had started to ask everything that popped in her head. All the enigmas that surrounded the small Midoriya family.

The older woman looked down. "Everything then..." She sighed again. "Do you remember the story of the Nameless King I told you when you were a kid?"

Izuku frowned. "Of course." She didn't understand where her mother was going.

"Do you remember the part when the Nameless King demands from the Good King of the neighbouring village his daughter or he would destroy all the village?" Her mother looked sad as she asked it as if memories were flashing through her mind, and they didn't seem to be good.

Izuku nodded, her imagination working overtime to create the form of a faceless princess being thrown at the deen of the wicked King.

"Well, the village actually exists, it's called Nesnia, and it's from there that I come from." Inko peered directly at her daughter, wishing that she would understand and free her from uttering the words on her throat.

But Izuku wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips.

Inko looked down at her own hands. "I was the princess, Izuku," she whispered so low that the teenager nearly didn't catch it.

She was left with a gaping jaw. "Prin-princess?" She asked to make sure her ears had heard right, then recreated the story she had heard from the beginning to the end in her mind.

It all started with the destruction of the peaceful city at the hands of the Nameless King, who gave the Good King a deal.

He had to give his only daughter to the evil monarch, or all the lives of his people would be wasted. When the Good King hesitated, the brave princess sacrificed herself and her freedom for her people.

After that, Izuku remembered reading about the unfathomable sadness of the princess, then the bottomless hope from when the courageous Knight came to her rescue with his magical sword.

The bloody battle between the Knight and the King. The latter who ended fleeing when he lost.

And finally, the Knight takes the princess towards safety.

"But didn't the Knight save her then led her back to her hometown?" Izuku asked.

She revived the late nights after hearing her favourite story and imagining the aftermath, where the good guys lived happily ever after.

Her mother looked down at her hand, then lifted a cord she had around her neck, dangling from it was a black ring. "Nesnia was the capital from the dark lands before the Nameless King took over. Before it was all destroyed. The realm was known as Mitra, the home of all races. When the Evil King took over, your grandfather didn't have that much of an option. It was giving me to the ruthless King or having the last of the people dead by the end of the week. So, I went with him, not that it changed anything." Her mother let go of the cord, tears in her eyes. "It was so scary, Izuku! He was such a cruel man! He surrounded himself with the poor creatures he had modified! None of them was conscious of what they were doing! And when he arrived, I thought I would be free forever-"

The woman broke down in tears, her words mixing with her sobs. Izuku wrapped her arms around her, ashamed of what she had brought back to the surface.

"I'm sorry mom, you don't have to keep telling it-"

"No, you have to know, it was wrong of me to keep this from you, it's your story too after all, and maybe you can correct my wrongdoings." She wiped her runny nose.

Inko freed herself from the embrace, dried her tears away and took a strengthening breath. "One year after the marriage I was pregnant with you, when he discovered it, he started talking about how you would become greater than him, how he would transform you into the next Him, but I couldn't let that happen, not to my baby!" She grabbed her daughter's face. "So, I started to pack my things. When I had everything I needed, I stole a sword to help in my escape and ran away. But not even five minutes later he caught up to me. At the exact moment, the King decided to throw me in the dungeons, the Knight appeared. I never understood how he knew to show up at that moment, and I never really talked to him in person again. He fought the King while I ran away with Mitsuki and Masaru's help. I had met them before I was sent to Berne and had promised to help me out of there."

"Aunt Mitsuki? She had told me she had helped you; I just didn't know it was from that!" Izuku exclaimed, eyebrows meeting her bangs.

"She had recently given birth to Katsuki, so they knew the feeling of protectiveness I was undergoing, they brought me as far away as they could. To this little town, and each spring, Mitsuki comes over to make sure we are okay." The smile on Inko's puffy face was full of gratitude.

The older woman sighed and got up, stepping deeper inside the house. When she came back, she had the chest Izuku had asked about.

She opened it and inside were full of dark clothes and two smaller boxes. Izuku partially opened her lips, looking up at her mother in a silent question. Her mother nodded once.

The teenager took the smaller one and opened it. Inside there was a wide range of jewellery. From necklaces to earrings and bracelets, all made of silver inlaid with black diamonds, Onyxes and who knew what other black tinted jewels.

On the other one, however, was a crown, also made of silver, but decorated with emeralds and rubies.

"That was my crown." Her mother took it from the box and inspected it, her face unreadable. "I couldn't bring myself to leave it, it was the only thing he had let me keep from my time of freedom." She placed it back on the box and closed it. "I want you to take it." Her mother looked straight at her, a new flame burning inside her eyes. "And I want you to take the sword to take back what is yours."

Izuku's eyes narrowed. "What?"

Inko let out a pained breath. "I did a lot of wrong things when I was young… I shouldn't have left my people in the hands of that King, but I am too old to do anything now." She took Izuku's hand. "You will go North to Yuuei, the city of heroes, to meet his majesty," her mother said before she let go of her hands and took from her apron's pocket a letter and handed it over to her. "When you get there, give him this letter, he will help you."

"You serious? You who spent my whole life telling me I was quirkless and wouldn't be able to protect myself? You want me to go all the way to Yuuei when you don't even let me go out of the village? And why is that by the way? Why such a sudden change of heart?"

Izuku sincerely didn't understand. Calling her mother overprotective was an understatement so big, the teenager didn't even know anything big enough to compare it with.

Inko grabbed her forearms. "I'm so sorry Izuku, I never wanted you to feel like I don't think you are capable, it's just I love you so much." She held her daughter's cheek, but then she shook her head and let go of her.

She got up and signalled for her to follow her towards the teenager's bedroom. She took the girl's yellow backpack and using her quirk to float everything she needed towards her, she started filling the bag with clothes.

"And I didn't have a change of heart. I have been thinking about this for a while now. And I never wanted you out because I was afraid your father would send his lackeys to take you away," her mother said, quietly as she closed the bag after putting the crown in it, walking to the kitchen and started filling it with food. "But now I see I was being selfish. You always had a great destiny. With or against your father doesn't matter now. I did everything I could at the moment, to give you a chance to choose who you wanted to be, and even though I would like to keep you here, safe and sound, you have to go do what I wasn't able to do, save our people. Now go change, that dress isn't going to be helpful."

Izuku stared at her mother's silhouette for a while then obeyed, changing from her blue dress to some dark leggings, a white shirt and a green vest, her red boots on her feet. The girl set the letter inside the pocket of her waistcoat, put her long green hair up in a ponytail and took her journals.

She came back to the kitchen and stared some more at her mother then at the bag she had just closed and was now handing out to her, she hugged her mother tight, grabbed the bag, map and sword and was nearly thrown out. "Are you sure about this? Shouldn't you come with me?" she asked when she saw her mother's tear-streaked cheeks.

Her mother looked at their house with a melancholic smile, then shook her head. "I have done enough. And you will be great Izuku, I believe in you, now go, we have wasted enough time as it is."

One tear rolled down Izuku's freckled cheek. "Bye, mom! If Kacchan or Eijichan come around, tell them to go meet me!" She waved her mother goodbye one last time and headed towards the end of the village, not looking back if she did, she wouldn't have left with the look her mother was giving her.

Izuku walked through the village, as always ignoring the looks of hatred and disappointment they sent her way. If she was lucky enough, she wouldn't see them again, but that would also mean she wouldn't see her mother.

The teenager reached the first set of trees that surrounded Olind and with a shaky breath, she was engulfed by the branches.

When she was sure no one could see her anymore, Izuku started to run, jumping over fallen trees, using the low branches to swing her way faster through the forest.

Izuku was alone for the entirety of the trip to the end of the forest and past the river where she would meet Katsuki and Eijiro every spring.

She was a bit sad for leaving before their arrival, but what she was sent to do was way too significant, and her mother wouldn't have let her stay anyway. And knowing Katsuki, he would find a way to meet up with her at some point.

And bring the dragons along.

And unquestionably, some yelling would be included.

* * *

She had been travelling for a week, following the river when she met the first village. She had been expecting to get more supplies for her journey, but when it finally came into her line of sight, she saw that the town was in flames. People were screaming and quirks flying left and right.

All around, trolls and ogres destroyed the houses hitting men and women, old and young without discrimination.

Izuku dropped her bag by a tree, the sword she had cleaned and trained with since she was five in her hand as she ran towards the city. Right and left men and women were using their quirks to stop the monsters, some were successful, but not enough of them.

The greenette dropped under the legs of an ogre, striking the monster on the inside of the leg deep enough to bring him down for long enough so that a group of kids could run away.

"Get out of here!" she yelled at them when she embedded her sword in its back, and the kids stayed there, staring at her as she ran towards the other monsters.

She had taken another two ogres and three trolls down when she saw at the plaza a boy and girl fighting some ogres.

The boy was kicking them at high speed for someone with a knight armour.

The girl was running around, slapping her hands on the monsters, and punching them up in the air. They would go up then she would touch her fingers, and they would fall to their deaths.

Behind the boy, however, came a troll who went to hit him with his pointy ended club while he was distracted fighting another one.

"Behind you!" she yelled as she swung her sword at the troll, and it was planted on his back. It roared but still fell face-first into the bloody ground.

They both stared at her, then at the bleeding troll at their feet.

"Hey there! I'm Izuku Midoriya! Who are you guys?" She asked excitedly, pulling her sword out of the troll's back, and extended her free hand.

"I'm Tenya Iida, the youngest son of the distinguished Iida line of knights that serves the King of Yuuei, and I thank you for preserving our lives from this foul beast." He pointed at said 'foul beast'.

Izuku raised an eyebrow at the boy and his way of talking.

"I'm Ochaco Uraraka, you can call me Ochaco, I'm a mage!" The girl jumped, showing her staff as if to prove her words.

Mages weren't quite common in their world, they didn't have any actual kind of magic, just their quirks. They were a type of heroes and were known for their potions and protective skills.

They were a strange pair, to say the least, while he was serious and moved in straight lines, the girl was bubbly and would jump left and right as she talked.

Izuku listened for any sounds of quirks or battling. When she didn't hear anything, she let a breath of relief pass through her lips.

"Where are you guys headed?" Izuku asked, cleaning her sword's blade on the troll's pants and putting it away when satisfied.

"We are headed for Yuuei, of course!" Ochaco said, Tenya nodded along. "We both want to enter the hero course. Iida-kun wants to become a Knight for the royal cavalry, and I want to become a professional mage and help around! And you?"

"Me too! I want to become a hero so I can travel and help everyone!" She said, keeping the part of her father quiet.

"Aren't you quite young to be travelling unaccompanied? And annihilating these monstrosities?" Tenya asked while Ochaco got closer, both looking her up and down.

"I'm fifteen years old! Not that young!" She exclaimed frowning.

How in the world could they think she was too young for this? They couldn't be that much older than her!

Both exchanged a look of great surprise.

"Wow! I was sure you were twelve or something." The chocolate-haired girl snickered.

"Wouldn't you agree to join us for the excursion, nonetheless? Merely to be sure nothing might occur to you," Tenya asked, frowning in what she would call concern.

Izuku looked between them both, sure they were sympathetic but… could she trust them?

She took a step back. "I don't know, you guys, I just met you, I-"

"And we just met you." Ochaco pointed at her to emphasize.

Tenya flipped one of his hands and nodded. "Of course, we ought to be careful of who we speak with and who we travel with, yet it's considerably more dangerous to roam throughout Creslia, even more so through the North apart from any sort of gathering." He pointed out.

She thought about it for a minute.

All through her voyage this last week she hadn't found one ogre or troll, but now she was further North, her father's poisonous hand had already reached this part of the land.

She wouldn't survive alone.

"And if we attack, which isn't happening, by the way, you can always strike us with your sword." Ochaco swung her staff around as if it was a sword. And nearly hit Tenya in the face while doing it. Not she noticed.

Her frown melted away into giggles. "Okay then, let's go!"

They made sure that there weren't any more risks of ogres and trolls in the village, then sent everyone to the direction of Olind through the path bordering the river Izuku took to come here, so they would have a way of survival. She even sent through one of their ancients a letter for her mother.

When they were all gone, she went back to pick her stuff up by the tree, and they continued their way up towards Yuuei together.

Travelling with Ochaco and Tenya was a pleasant experience, they were different from the kids their age back in her village, when they discovered she was quirkless they didn't mock her or called her useless.

They even called her powerful, making her blush from the tips of her toes up to her hairline.

She had asked why, and Tenya had said: "for someone who is quirkless, you were amazingly skilled at handling that monster."

And soon enough she had discovered their quirks.

The aspiring Knight, like everyone in his family, had tubes in his legs that helped him go faster, not that Izuku, or Ochaco for that matter, understood how it worked.

The bubbly girl's quirk came from the tips of her fingers. When she touched something with five of her fingers, she made it weightless. But too much use of her quirk made her sick.

She wrote about both in her notebook with Katsuki and Eijiro's quirks, the people of her village and Katsuki's tribe.

She hoped to be able to fill out more journals with everything she learned.

Both quirks were impressive and helpful. When the road was blocked by a huge tree, Ochaco would make it weightless, Tenya would grab it and quickly put it away somewhere that wouldn't hit anywhere that was habited.

And Izuku sure did feel useless in those moments. But both were quick to inform her about how useful she really was.

Apparently, they had been going in the wrong direction before they met her. So, now she was, as Ochaco said, 'the girl of the map'.

They had fallen into a pattern during this week they had spent together and were now very much inseparable. Spending 24/7 time with someone made that to people she concluded.

"Can we please sit for a minute?" Ochaco asked in the evening of their seventh day of travel, already supporting her weight in a tree trunk.

Izuku thought it was ironic how the girl who could make anything weightless was the first to tell her legs could take her mass anymore.

Another thing she had discovered was that Tenya had a fast pace and Ochaco got exhausted very quickly, and each hour she would ask that same question.

"We must retain our pace! Yuuei is still notably beyond our reach!" Tenya complained.

Izuku looked around, then at the map in her hands.

They were reaching the upper forest regions. Two days away from the outskirts of the Volcanic range, Eral, to the North. Three from the desert city, Resly, to the East. And just about two hours away from Soumat, the mountain that King Enji Todoroki and the nobles of the south lived.

"It's getting dark, Tenya," Izuku told him. Both looked up to where the sun was nearly setting. She closed the map she had been using and put it back in her pocket. "We won't have the protection of the trees for quite some time. So, let's rest here, and tomorrow we start again, how does that sound?"

He stared at her for a while, then nodded and dropped his bag under a tree. Ochaco sighed contentedly, resting under another one.

"The map says there's a lake over there." She nodded towards where she was talking. "I'll go fetch some water," Izuku said, taking everyone's canteens.

"I'll go fetch some wood, then." Ochaco got up again with a grumble, and both girls went their separate ways while Tenya set camp.

Izuku strolled through the woods, listening and watching out for any kind of trouble, holding her sword tightly by the handle.

They weren't North enough so that the forest was crawling with monsters, and she did suppose that the heroes under the King would patrol nearby and chase them away. Still, no one ever died for being too careful.

But when Izuku reached the lake she had mentioned to her companions, she found a young man on a horse.

His gaze fixed on the fort on the other side of the lake.

His hair divided in the middle with a radical change in colour. His right side was white like snow, his left red like fire. He was covered in fancy attire, tinted in a cerulean shade, contrasting against his colourful hair. His mount had a beautiful cream complexion.

She tiptoed past him, attempting to not disturb him. When she crossed him down the slope, however, his head turned briskly towards her. Izuku jumped from surprise, toppled over and nearly fell into the water.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice not showing any kind of worry.

He had dismounted his horse and was now beside her, his hand outstretched to her.

"Yeah." She took his hand and went back to her feet, blushing at her own clumsiness. "You just startled me."

He was much taller than her now that they were both on solid ground, she just merely reached his jaw, but he did seem shorter than Tenya.

And now that she was closer, she was able to see his eyes. His right one was grey, the left turquoise, but both had a cold feeling to them. However, it was the burn scar on the left side of his face that took her attention, making her get closer to inspect it.

He looked away, let go of her hand and went back to his horse.

"Sorry, it was impolite of me to stare," she confessed, but he ignored her. "Who are you?" she asked, trying to make small chat.

He stared back at her, incredulous, then sighed. "Shoto... Todoroki." He finished his own name with resentment.

Her eyes widened, then bowed profusely. "I'm so sorry, Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness!"

She had heard many stories about the youngest children of the King of Soumat. How Princess Fuyumi and her younger siblings, Prince Natsuo and Shoto – the boy she had just fallen in front of and been so rude too! What would her mother think of this! – would go around the closest cities and take care of their people.

She had grown up imagining how one day, where her village would be in need, the kind princess and princes would help them.

But she didn't expect such freezing eyes.

Of course, Izuku knew Queen Rei had an ice quirk, but come on! She didn't foresee it was going to be so accurate!

"Don't call me that." She straightened back up, confused at why he didn't want to be called by his title. "And who are you?" he asked, glancing back at her from his horse's side.

"Izuku Midoriya, your High- sorry, Todoroki. I'm simply a traveller hoping to reach Yuuei," she explained, getting closer to the water to fill the three jugs and get a little further away from his cold gaze.

"Aren't too young to be travelling alone, and to become a hero nonetheless?" He pointed out.

"I'm fifteen! Why does everyone think that I'm too young?!" She exclaimed, forgetting who she was talking to.

His eyes showed the very present quantity of disbelief he felt. "Maybe your height or your baby face," he stated, making her hands fly to her red face, the canteens hitting the ground with a thud.

"B-ba-baby face?" She stuttered, then sighed, her cheeks red all over again. "And I'm not travelling alone, my friends are waiting for me in the forest." She closed the last bottle and signalled the trees with her head.

She rose back up and shifted towards where her friends were when an idea crossed her mind.

"Are you headed somewhere or is this just a short stroll?" she asked, looking at the castle she now knew was his father's.

"Yuuei, too."

Izuku averted her eyes. "Would you like to join us? I'm sure my friends won't have a problem with it and travelling alone in the Volcanic Region could be dangerous," she said, choosing her words carefully.

He looked back at the forest, glanced at her sword then glared at her for a moment to see if she was lying, but the smile she gave didn't have any second thoughts or malice, so he took the reins and gave a small nod.

Izuku walked excitedly through the trees, the prince right behind her.

"Hey, Izu! Is everything- Who is that?" Ochaco asked, letting go of the floating wood she had brought in the ground to finally release her quirks influence on them.

"Uraraka, Iida this is…" She studied Shoto, asking herself if she should say he was the prince or let them figure it out on their own. "This is Shoto Todoroki, he is going to Yuuei too, so I told him he could come with us, you know as soon enough we will be passing through the volcanoes."

"That was a particularly pertinent choice Midoriya, except we don't know him," Tenya pointed out, frowning a bit.

"I trust him." Izuku might not know him in person, but she didn't think he would hurt them in any way if the stories were true. "And you said it yourself! Travelling alone could be dangerous!"

He nodded; all worries were forgotten at the remembrance of his own wise words. "You are very trusting, though," was the only thing he said.

"Todoroki… isn't that the name of the King of Soumat and proclaimed protector of the forest?" Ochaco was squinting her eyes at Shoto.

"Yes, but I refuse to be associated with that man." He spat, secured the reins of his horse on a tree and sat down with a huff, putting an end to the conversation.

The other three teenagers shared concerned looks before leaving him to his thoughts.

Izuku kneeled by the wood Ochaco had brought and tried to light it up, unsuccessful. In moments like these, she would curse at herself for her lack of a useful quirk.

Shoto sighed, catching her attention. He got closer, touched one of his left fingers on a branch and it lit on fire.

"Thanks." She smiled up at him.

He didn't reply.

The rest of the night was uneventful. Shoto kept quiet. Ochaco had fallen asleep the moment she had finished an apple they had brought, and Tenya and Izuku were planning the best route to Yuuei through the volcanoes.

"We should maintain this route." He traced the path in-between the drawing of the Volcanoes with his finger. "This way, we can lessen our time of travel."

"But what if they start erupting while we are there? That could get us killed, I think we should go around them." Izuku trailed her charcoal through the representation of the route that bordered the northern outskirts of the volcanoes.

"But that would double the time of the travel! We can't afford to consume such an amount of time in the outer borders of Eral with the abundance of monstrosities that are there, that is the nearest point to the Dark Lands we will be passing through after all!" He pointed at the black part of the map.

Now that he mentioned it, it was more dangerous to be in the middle of hundreds of her father's enslaved sentinels than going through a maze of volcanoes.

Just the thought of her father made her shiver.

"So, it's by the volcanoes then," she conceded, folding the map again.

The teens settled each under a tree to get some rest.

But when Izuku was comfortable enough to drift into sleep, Tenya called out to her.

"Are you cold?" He asked.

She frowned and shook her head. "Why?"

"You shivered while we set our route, and we can't afford to catch colds in this perilous situation."

She looked down at the map she had set into a pocket of her bag. "It's just that… I heard so many stories about the Dark Lands, but I was never actually there. Just the thought, however, makes me scared of what could happen."

"It's a quite normal feeling when concerning the Dark Lands. Still, we are here, we will not permit anything to happen to you."

She smiled. "Thank you." Then Tenya leaned back on the tree and fell asleep. She took some time to write about Shoto's quirk in her notebook, the conversation having chased away her immediate tiredness. Then, an hour later, she joined her companions in their slumber.

* * *

"Wah!" The girls started.

That morning they had reached the first volcano, and unfortunately for them, it had erupted a day prior, and the lava had already covered most of the way.

"Why didn't we go around?" Ochaco cried out in horror as one of the lava bubbles kept growing.

"We have to go faster," Shoto pressed when they cried out again. He had been trying to stop the lava with his ice, but it was way too hot, making it turn into vapour on contact.

A bubble of lava exploded right beside them at that exact second, making both girls jump out of the way of the melted rock.

"Well, do tell me, Your Highness, what can we possibly do to go faster," Ochaco mocked.

"Izuku can mount with me, and you can go in Iida's back weightless," he remarked, glaring when the girl used his title to spite him.

Ochaco's cheeks went red from embarrassment from the thought-out plan.

They had been travelling for two days with the prince, but he was still somewhat hostile to them, mainly because every time he started to relax one of them would slip up and call him by his royal title, and then he would fall back into quiet glares and short and sassy answers.

"It's a good idea, actually." Izuku thought it over. It certainly would make it way faster, and they wouldn't be too tired, well, all but Tenya, so she asked him.

"For me, there is no problem, that will prove my speed!" The glasses-wearing boy smiled proudly, puffing out his chest.

"Perfect then!" Ochaco said. She touched her fingertips, making herself weightless. "Okay so let's do this!" She jumped in Tenya's back and held on tight.

"Come on, Midoriya." Shoto held out his hand so he could pull her up into the horse's back.

She took the help gratefully, but when he pulled her, and she started to mount, she saw from a distance three coloured points in the sky. The sight made her cock her head to the side in curiosity.

Shoto shifted his head to where she was staring at, and his commonly emotionless face filled with shock. He picked her up, setting her behind him in one move and yelled, "Dragons!" Making Tenya and Ochaco look at them, and everyone took off running.

Izuku held on to the boy's waist but kept staring as the dragons were getting closer. "Dammit! We are not going to get away," Shoto cursed, bumping the side of his horse, Flake, she remembered, to make him go faster.

She watched as slowly the points became forms, and the blurry colours were distinguishable against the blue sky. A smile crept up in her face.

The first one she saw was the one she had been hoping to find during these two weeks of travel. "Rohy."

"What?" Shoto peered back at her. "Why are you smiling? Are you suicidal?"

"No, it's just I know those dragons!" She squeezed his waist in excitement.

"They are miles away, Midoriya, how can you possibly know?" In his voice was obvious worry and frustration.

She kept on staring behind them, but after some minutes of running, they were close enough to make out three small points on top of the dragons. "Because only the Nomads can mount Dragons." She smiled brighter, waving at the ever-nearing forms.

"And what does that have to do with you being alright, no, happy that they are nearly over us? The Nomads are brutes with no sense of anything!" He reprimanded her.

"Have you ever met them?" she asked, her head snapping back towards his mismatched head, eyebrows furrowed.

"I have, this year to be more exact, the new 'king' was presenting himself to all the representatives. And 'bastard' or 'jerk' isn't strong enough words to describe the guy." He spat, hitting the reins to try to make Flake go faster again, but it was already too late, the three dragons were already right behind them.

And in less than ten minutes, they were flying over them.

"Deku?" She heard the familiar angry voice yell down at her from the red dragon.

"It's her, your Majesty?" Another familiar voice called from the grey dragon.

"Kacchan! Eijichan!" She yelled, ecstatically up at her friends.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Deku? And who is that dumbass?" the ash-blond asked.

The green-haired girl looked up, and even from a considerable distance, she could see his blond hair shining down at her.

"Don't answer him," Shoto ordered.

"They are my friends." She said, looking back at him.

"The Nomad people don't have friends out of their tribes, Izuku." The boy gazed at her; his mismatched eyes serious when he used her given name.

"You don't know them, Shoto," she said in the same voice, then she looked up at Rohy's belly and yelled, "let's get out of this part of the volcanoes and talk easier, okay?"

Izuku could feel Katsuki's glare at Shoto, but he yelled, "hurry up, Deku," nonetheless, and all three dragons sped up.

Izuku sat up straight on the horse's back and secured herself behind Shoto.

It took them more than six hours of running and silence to finally get away from the lava maze and reach where the dragons were resting and meeting up with the pacing ash-blond boy.

Rohy, Indry and Rycun were laying over to the left in their usual position, Rohy's paw over Indry who was curled next to him and Rycun sprawled out behind them.

Ochaco was shaking behind Tenya from fright. Eijiro and a pink girl were both trying to get closer and talk, but Tenya was already in a fighting stance.

When they got closer, Katsuki ran at her. She jumped out of the horseback, leaving her backpack on the floor and running up at him.

He took her in a bone-crushing hug.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" He held her by the shoulders.

Before answering, both took in each other's appearance.

He was a whole head taller than her now, his shoulders were broader than how she recalled them.

And nearly hidden under his mother's cape that was in his shoulders, she could see a tattoo on his left arm. And like always, shirtless.

"My mother finally told me everything, Kacchan! All the secrets we tried to pry from them for all these years!" She smiled up at him.

"What? Everythin'?" Kirishima asked from behind them, Izuku jumped up at him, leaving a still shocked Katsuki behind.

"Eijichan?!" She hugged him.

"Izu-chan!" He smiled down at her when she let him go.

"What happened to your hair?" She held his face to bring it down so she could look at the now red hair better.

"What do ya think of it?" He grinned.

Izuku laughed.

"Eijichan?" a girl's voice asked, intrigued.

Izuku looked at the pink girl. She had black pupils and gold irises; small antennas were poking out of her messy pink hair. And like any tribe girl, she was wearing just a blue top and shorts.

"You must be the famous Izuku. As I see that 'Eijichan' isn't going to present me." She peered at the red-haired boy who blushed. "Mina Ashido, his majesty saved my family up in the Northern mountains from a monster attack, and now I'm his second guardian with Eijiro." The girl raised her hand for a handshake that Izuku accepted happily.

"You know them, Izu-chan?" Ochaco asked from behind Tenya.

"Uraraka, Iida, Todoroki, these are my Nomad friends Eijiro Kirishima, Mina Ashido and Prince Katsuki Bakugo of the Nomads." She pointed around her, respectively.

"King," Katsuki said beside her again, his arms crossed against his chest, she looked at him questionably. "Since the beginning of the year, the old hag has me going around, presenting myself to stuck-up, wannabe kings as I'm soon turning sixteen. I'm King."

Her jaw plummeted.

Now what Shoto had told her on their way here made its way into her mind.

Her eyes went from one to another. If looks could kill, they would have dropped dead by now.

"Half N' Half." Katsuki spat. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in your castle doing whatever your crappy father wants you to?"

"I do whatever I want, Explodo-Boy." He glared back.

Katsuki got ready to pounce at the mismatched boy, but Izuku caught his arm and sent him a pressing expression that halted him in his steps. He slowly breathed his wrath away. A grin split their faces, and she laughed.

"I missed you," she admitted.

He looked away and nodded towards the dragons. "What did your mom tell you?"

She opened her mouth to talk but then looked around at her new friends' expectant faces.

She didn't know if she should tell them.

Of course, she trusted Eijiro with her life, He was like a brother to her.

She had come to trust Tenya and Ochaco nearly as much.

She didn't know Mina, but if Katsuki trusted her enough to bring her with them, she didn't have a problem with her, and based on how Eijiro was looking at her he would tell her if she asked.

And Shoto… well, he may be headstrong and have a history with Katsuki. But, as absurd as it seemed, even to her own mind, she trusted him too.

And she couldn't put them in any kind of danger without making sure they were okay with it.

"Come everyone." She finally said, making her way towards the dragons.

She sat beside Indry. She and the other two dragons were massive now. Izuku was sure that if Indry laid her head at the greenette's feet, she would barely be able to see her dragon's eyes.

And now it struck her how they were more alike than she had thought, both with a parent from the Dark Lands.

Everyone sat down around her, Katsuki to her left and Eijiro to her right.

Izuku took deep and slow intakes of air to centre herself, scratching the green and purple dragon's belly.

After a couple of minutes, she told them what her mother had told her.

Explaining a bit more for Mina, Shoto, Ochaco and Tenya.

"She was the one who let you go? Alone? When I went to see her when I arrived, and she told me you were gone, I was sure you had run away!" Katsuki asked, incredulously. He knew how her mother was overprotective.

"She nearly kicked me out, telling me I had to take back what was mine." She chuckled, then sighed at the memory.

It wasn't that long ago that she last saw her mother, but for someone who spent every day with her, it felt like an eternity.

"Nesnia's throne." Ochaco thought out loud.

"No." Shoto shook his head, and everyone looked at him in confusion. "Mitra's throne, the place of all races, the richest place in all Creslia, where quirks were born. The place any hero dreams of saving so they can claim it as their own."

They all were staring at Izuku now, and she had to admit that she hadn't thought of that. Her? A Princess? She scoffed mentally.

"You are going to Mitra, aren't you?" Katsuki asked after an immeasurably long time of thoughtful silence.

"Yes." She looked up at him. "But first I'm heading to Yuuei. Mother gave me a letter to give to his Majesty. She even said he might help me take down the Nameless King."

The word quirkless started to stab all hope of ever doing anything like what her mother had said.

"Then I'll be going with you." Her round eyes grew rounder. "Don't give me that look. Did you really think I would let you go away into something that can fucking kill you and not follow you to make sure you at least don't get yourself killed in the dumbest way possible?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

"But you became King, Kacchan, you can't leave your people!" She forced, sitting straight.

"Ya don't have to worry Izu-chan, our people are strong. Mitsuki-san can take care of everythin'. And if his Majesty is goin', we are too," Eijiro said, talking about himself and Mina.

"We are going too!" Ochaco said, pointing at herself and Tenya who nodded.

Everyone looked at Shoto, who had his eyes zeroed on Izuku.

"I'll have to consider it; I have problems of my own to solve anyway." He stared at her some more. "And if you convince me to help, I'm the one telling the old man about all of this. I would love to see his face when he discovers that I pledged allegiance to someone else than him." He smirked at her.

Izuku smiled back, nodding at him.

She had to admit, she hadn't been expecting to have so many people by her side so soon.

**And she tried really hard to ignore her brain when it kept repeating: "You are quirkless! You are useless! You can't do it! They will die because of you!"**


	3. Hero Choices

"Well, everybody! We should rest now so we will be fully rested tomorrow morning and reach Yuuei sooner," Tenya called out after they ate.

"Who fucking died and put you in charge, four eyes?" Katsuki growled from beside Izuku, and she giggled. "Why the fuck are you laughing, Deku?"

"I really did miss you," she murmured.

He grumbled and looked up at the sky. "The dragons missed you too," he mumbled.

She smiled softly at him.

Of course, he wouldn't admit he had also missed her. But he would never have hugged her like he had done when they saw each other if it had been a regular first day of spring, though.

"I'm sure they did," she mocked.

"Shut up and sleep, nerd," was the only answer he gave her.

He took off his cloak and covered them both, just like his own mother did when they fell asleep while taking care of the dragons.

She snuggled up, making herself comfortable against Indry and they fell asleep watching the stars, smiles on their faces.

* * *

Izuku woke up to a boom.

The sun hadn't even peeked out yet, but everyone was awake in seconds.

"What's going on?" Ochaco had started to yell.

From the way they all woke up, it had to be a monster.

And as everyone looked around, they saw it as it approached.

It was as tall as the trees that surrounded them. Its lips were pulled into the creepiest smile Izuku had seen. And it was moving around as if it was made of liquid.

"What is that?" Izuku asked already on her feet.

"Doesn't fucking matter!" Katsuki yelled, propelling himself with his explosions. "You stay there Izuku, don't you dare try to fight!"

Katsuki produced one big explosion on the thing's face.

Shoto kept creating one big mass of ice to encompass the monster, but it just kept freeing itself with swats of his hand.

Kirishima was trying to climb it, unsuccessfully.

Mina was throwing acid that only made a slight hissing sound.

And Tenya tried kicking it with fast blows. Only to get his legs stuck in the strange liquid that made up the monster's body.

All their efforts were falling short, however.

"Come on, Izu-chan!" Ochaco grabbed her friend's hand and ran to where their things were piled up. "We can't help them, let's put our stuff away, so it doesn't get in the way."

Both girls began to set all their things around the dragons' long necks.

Ochaco would make things weightless, throw them at Izuku, who would strap them to their scales around the neck area, but she always kept an eye on her friends, so she saw the exact moment when the monster grabbed Katsuki out of the air and engulfed him.

Without thinking, Izuku picked her sword from the pack on Indry's back. "Kacchan!" And took off running.

"Stay back, Izuku!" He yelled when he saw her.

She paused and considered the circumstances.

She would get herself killed if she jumped there without a plan.

But she was panicking too much, looking around frantically, and then it hit her.

The teenager ran back towards the dragons who were just now waking up from all the noise.

She mounted Indry and pointed to the monster and her friends when Rohy and Rycun looked at her, their heads cocked to the side.

"You two stay!" She yelled, holding her hand flat towards them in stop motion, that she thanked her younger self had thought of teaching them.

She turned back to where her friends were fighting. "Keep packing Uraraka!" she yelled at Ochaco who was standing to the side baffled. The greenette's words jolted her back to life.

Izuku let a breath leave her lips, patted Indry in the head and shouted, "Let's go, girl!"

The dragon stood up to her full height and walked towards the fight. Izuku yelled for everyone to get out of the way.

Shoto, Tenya and Mina stumbled out of the way, never having seen what Indry could, but Eijiro crouched and with his hardened hands pierced the ground and made himself as small as he could.

"Swing your tail, Indry!" Izuku ordered.

The purple and green dragon with one sweep movement of her wings raised herself from the ground and flipped her long tail, making it crack on the air, the pressure it released hitting the monster straight on the chest and the sound it made, piercing through the forest.

Without being able to hold itself together, the monster popped in a million tiny pieces, releasing Katsuki from his extremely low-temperature freezing cage.

The blond hit the ground hard, sickening coughs coming from as deep as his lungs. At the sound, Izuku got down from Indry and threw herself towards him.

"Are you okay?" She fussed, holding his hand as she patted his back to help him.

After a few seconds more of coughing, he said, "Yeah, yeah, stop worrying, I could've done that!" He glared, but it didn't have any venom to it.

She fell back beside him, finally taking a calming breath. "I know you could, but still."

They all stayed in silence as they recuperated their breaths until Tenya proposed they pack the last of their things and left.

No one objected.

When everything they had was strapped securely and evenly on three dragons, Shoto decided to mention that he was going by horse.

"Are you fucking crazy? That will take you weeks to reach Yuuei! Leave the damn horse and mount the dragon Half N' Half!" Katsuki shouted at him.

"I'm not mounting the dragon, and I'm not leaving Flake, it's my mother's." He glared.

They both fell into an argument with no end. Until Izuku looked around and noticed something that would be a problem, or better, a solution.

"Kacchan! Todoroki!" The green-haired girl called, and they both glared at her, she shuffled a bit under the heat from the stares, coughed to wash away the sudden nervousness from her throat, then said. "Ochaco and Iida seem worried to fly on the dragons, so why don't they go through the forest that leads to Yuuei with Shoto, while Mina, Eijichan, Kacchan and I go with the dragons? Like that everyone is comfortable!"

Ochaco jumped at her with joy, Tenya sighed from relief, and Katsuki huffed. "Whatever, but we ain't waiting for ya!"

With that, Izuku showed the ones on the floor the route they would take on the map, leaving the paper with them. She told Shoto to send a sign if anything was wrong and they all mounted their ride. Eijiro and Mina on Rycun, Katsuki on Rohy, Izuku on Indry, Shoto and Ochaco on Flake and Tenya would be running.

The ones on the floor went off first. Ochaco waved until they were covered by the trees. After that, Rycun took off, Mina cheering all the way, then Katsuki shared a look with Izuku as they both took off on their dragons.

Izuku had forgotten how much she loved to fly on Indry's back. She felt free. Flying away as if nothing could ever take her down.

When the purple and green dragon reached the perfect altitude for the trip, she was able to see all the forest.

Izuku wrapped her legs tightly around Indry's neck to make sure she wouldn't topple over and opened her arms wide, that way taking as much of the sunshine of dawn, letting it warm her skin.

She let the wind wash away the horrid wakeup call she had and make her shirt flap around her torso, freeing her from the cold sweat.

She was happy that she had left her vest on her bag.

"Hey, Deku!" Katsuki called out from her right.

"Yeah?" She answered, laying down between Indry's shoulder blades, her legs still securing her to the dragon.

He yelled something, but it was drowned by the wind, then she heard a growl and a couple of successive explosions. She turned towards him quickly, and saw him mid-air, exploding his way towards her. She sat up in one motion, and he fell where she had been laying down.

"What was that for, Kacchan?" She turned back at him.

"Why the hell were you travelling with those extras?" He ignored her question, holding the scales in front of her, keeping her trapped in his arms.

Izuku looked down at the ground, cheeks pink, they were flying right above the forest so she couldn't see where her new friends were, and when she saw no sign of fire or ice she breathed in a refreshing air to answer.

"They helped me a lot, Kacchan, pulled me away from many wrong turns," she said, her voice just loud enough to be heard over the wind.

"But why those extras?"

Without looking back at him, she could see his frown, she smiled.

"Would you have preferred that I left Olind, passed Soumat, Eral, the Yuuei forest to only then reach Yuuei alone? Risking to get ambushed by some monsters. I don't really know what my father would want to do with me, imagine if he decided to kill me! Or turn me into the Next Him?" she said only half-joking.

"I would have fucking preferred you waiting for me!" He yelled in her ear, and she swatted at his head.

"I couldn't wait for you Kacchan! Mom literally sent me away with such urgency that I couldn't just tell her that I would wait!" She looked at his ruby eyes that were glaring at her now, and she kept on smiling. "And I knew you would find me."

He huffed and made her look back to the front.

* * *

He sighed. "You really don't know what he wants from you, do you?" he asked, his voice just above a whisper.

She shook her head. "Mom said that back when, he wanted to breed me into the next evil Warlord, or do you say Warlady?"

"Doesn't matter, nerd, 'cause you are too good to be turned into a villain," He said it with such conviction that she actually believed him.

They stayed in silence after that, watching the sun move across the sky, Rohy making loops around them, huffing at his master for his negligence, and following Rycun, his charges arms flying around in an endless heated conversation.

"So, Mina Ashido?" Izuku asked after a couple of hours of comfortable silence.

"What about racoon eyes?" That comment earned him another light blow to the head.

"She said you guys saved her," Izuku specified.

"Oh, that shit." He placed his chin on her shoulder, both looking at the grey dragon in front of them. "Yeah, we were going east as we usually do for the time of year and we were passing through a settlement in Resly to pick up some stuff, but some damn monsters were burning everything up. The sand was turning into fucking glass. It was just me, shitty hair and the dragons. We swiped the place, killing those damn monsters, but there wasn't much left, Eijiro was the one who found her, acid-spraying the things, after shit was cleared we took the ones alive back to camp and she offered to be my guard."

Izuku glanced at him, smirking. "And the great Tribe King Katsuki Bakugo accepted help?!" Her voice was dripping with mirth. "That's a first."

"Hahaha, very funny nerd, but it was the old hag who said yes, and it was that save that made her give me the title."

She had known he would become king sooner or later, but she hadn't expected it to be so soon. She knew that soon enough he would have his official coronation and with that, he would have to choose his partner, then he would be too focused on the Tribe's affairs and then they wouldn't meet anymore, then she-

"What are you muttering about, Deku?"

"Ah, nothing I-" but before she could say anything else, the temperature dropped, and they both turned their heads back.

Ice pierced out of the forest into the sky. Rohy stopped his loops and roared, the other two dragons halted abruptly, and Indry would have crashed into Rycun if she hadn't been smaller and a Mystery dragon.

Right before she hit the Rock Dragon, she appeared a few feet over him, using her powers at the last possible moment.

Izuku was incredibly happy that her dragon could do those space skips.

But all happiness left her body when she heard multiple cries from the forest they just passed over.

"You stay here, I will go there and see what is happening to those extras," Katsuki said, already jumping from Indry to Rohy who flew to where the ice spike broke through the trees.

Rycun did the same. Eijiro and Mina were also jumping, even though Izuku didn't know how they made it into the ground without any broken bones.

Emerald eyes wandered everywhere, looking for something, any sign that her friends were okay. She hated that she couldn't do anything.

Minutes passed.

She could hear shouts and yells from voices she did and didn't know.

Sudden drops and climbs of temperature.

Then a couple of trees would shake or fall altogether.

Explosions and boulders came into the air.

Birds rushed in and out of the blanket of leaves.

Electricity jumped through the branches.

But when she heard a loud cry of agony, Izuku couldn't take it anymore.

"Down Indry!" She shouted, her dragon doing as her master told her to.

When Indry was low enough that her front paw was just a couple of feet over one of the trees, Izuku slid down the dragon's arm, standing up on the left forefoot then jumping.

The branches of the pine tree she was closest to, stopped her fall, and she understood how Eijiro and Mina had gone down minutes earlier.

When she finally hit the ground, she took in the situation.

And it was pure and utter chaos.

A dozen or so ogres and trolls, slamming bodies with their clubs, making people fly left and right. People Izuku didn't know and wouldn't know if they didn't take those monsters down.

But then Izuku realised. The problem wasn't those ones she was seeing now, those were being taken down effortlessly. The issue was the one right behind her.

The humongous one that had Ochaco at its feet, Katsuki flinging explosions and Shoto freezing him, but none of those attacks were taking it down, it was just making it angrier.

She had to do something.

'What could I even do? I'm quirkless! Useless! And I can't expect Indry's help in such a space without her breaking everything!' The thought crashed in her mind, but something deep within her whispered, 'anything, do anything to help them.'

She had trained her whole life for this and now was the moment to show it.

Without another thought, her muscles moved as quickly as if they had known the motions all her life.

She put her sword in front of her face and breathed in hard, a fire started to burn inside her, and when she opened her eyes, the determination shone so brightly that her body could not contain it.

The need to help.

The necessity to see her friends safe and sound. And the lack of doubt to put her life on the line to see it through.

She ran and jumped over the scattered ice like stairs until she was high enough to reach the monster's face.

Katsuki's yells and Shoto's cries went deaf to her ears as she crashed her blade in the monster's head.

It didn't have time to do anything, it just let out one last roar and started to topple.

The forest went silent as the last of the ogres and trolls were dealt with, and as the big monster started to fall, Izuku knew she wouldn't be able to get off.

So, she steadied herself, holding her sword and getting ready to jump, but it was too late.

The monster fell to his knees, jolting Izuku, who lost her footing on his nose and was left hanging from her sword as his face hit the ground.

Her legs were trapped under his bulbous nose, and her right arm, that still held the sword, was trapped under his forehead.

Izuku panted. Her legs and right arm hurt like nothing else ever had before, and when she looked down at them, she saw that her sleeves were torn, and the limbs were broken.

At the sight of her torn skin and blood, Izuku's head lulled to the side and dropped completely. Blankness finally took over her small body.

The last thing she heard was an explosion, ice crackling and shouts of her name.

* * *

Izuku had a delirious fever.

She was left in a state of half-consciousness, not being able to discern the pass of time, even less what was or was not real.

The wind had to be a dream, as had to be the sweet but strong arms that held tight to her.

The shouts and explosions had to be real, as were the worried words of who she assumed were her friends.

Those had to be real... if they weren't...

Izuku didn't even want to imagine it.

Just forming the words on her delirious mind left her stomach in knots.

When Izuku woke up for good, however, she found herself in a room she didn't know, people she didn't recognise surrounding her. And it all made her sit straighter.

Bad idea.

Her arm burst into pain, and she hissed, flopping back into the bed.

"Look who is finally awake!" An old woman said from her right, way chipper than she would have liked.

She was small and had grey hair with a long stick holding it up into a bun.

Her voice brought to Izuku's camp of vision a tall and buffy man, who had blond hair and a big smile.

She was in what appeared to be a medical room, as she could see all the bandages medicine bottles on a table, plus the smell of disinfection.

"Young lady," the man called, and she looked his way. "What do you remember?"

Izuku tried to sit up again, but the pain pierced through her whole body. She looked down at her bandaged arm from fingers to elbow and the memories she was trying to keep away, played on her mind's eye.

"Monsters. They - uhm - attacked my friends, I had to help. When I reached the ground from Indry, I couldn't do anything, but I jumped at it anyway… What happened?"

The strangers shared a look.

"Who are you? Where am I? Where are my friends? Are they okay?" She asked when they didn't say anything, panic rising inside her.

The smiley man chuckled. "You are in the healing centre of Yuuei, the city of heroes. Your friends brought you here yesterday, as you had a fever and several broken bones. Some of them were hurt, but all twenty have already been discharged, and are now in the castle."

"Twenty? Yesterday?" She asked, not noting the word 'castle'.

"I've been unconscious for two days?" Her voice came out high peached from disbelief.

Izuku looked down at her broken body again.

"No." the old lady shook her head. "The pink girl said that you were unconscious during all of your travel from the outskirts of the forest of Eral and as you came in dragon's back that took you about three days. So, in a total of five days."

Izuku stared into the nothing, shocked into silence.

She had tried to help her friends but ended being the one who needed help.

She had been useless.

Before she started crying at her worthlessness, she coughed it away and asked, "But... uhm... who are you?" She looked back up at his smiling face.

His chest puffed out, raising his hand for her to shake. "I'm King Toshinori Yagi of Yuuei."

"The...? Oh my!" Izuku started to look around for her backpack. "Where is my…?"

"This?" The old lady asked, raising the yellow backpack up.

Izuku grabbed it, thanking the old lady for it. She ruffled through it until she found the letter her mother gave her.

When she found it, she passed it over to him.

He silently took it from her with a frown.

As he read it, his squinty eyes got rounder and rounder from what she thought to be Shock.

When he reached the end, he read it again and then one more time.

He then looked at her. Later at the letter. Then back at her.

"You are... Izuku?" he whispered, his voice just losing the self-assuredness he had demonstrated earlier. "Princess Inko's child?"

She nodded, a small smile gracing her features at the gentle way he said her mother's name.

In one instant he deflated, his blond hair fell on his face, his muscles disappeared to be replaced with a gangly man with sunken cheeks.

He smoothed his hair with his long fingers, his mouth agape. "Do you remember anything else from your attack?"

Izuku's jaw fell for one instant from the lack of explanation for what just happened. She frowned, filling this on the corner of her mind that said 'Deal with Later' as she thought the question over.

She had hit the ground and had seen the people around her fighting the trolls and ogres. Behind her the big one… the fear, then the determination… the fire on her muscles then she had crashed her sword on the monster's face.

"A rush," she muttered.

"To save." He nodded. "The young King, very colourfully might I add, said you had always dreamt of becoming a hero."

She nodded, remembering the first time she declared she wanted to be a hero to someone and how they would laugh at her.

"I imagine you have been ridiculed because of it," he continued, his bright blue eyes understanding as they stared at each other. "But as the people that were there said, you were the only one who jumped at it, you, quirkless little girl."

Tears pooled at the corner of her eyes, the fear of losing her friends twice in one day clogging her throat and making her shiver.

"Your body moved before you could think, didn't it?"

"Y-yes." Her voice cracked.

"Who would've thought that the only daughter of the evillest man to ever walk this land would have the true heart of a hero?" He smiled.

The tears broke from her eyes, drowning her freckles under them.

"Do you want to have a chance to stand on the ring of the heroes?" he asked.

She cocked her head to the side, still crying. What was he talking about? He said it himself, she was just a small, quirkless girl.

He sat down on the only free chair of the room. Seeing that as a cue, the old lady started to free her right arm from its bandages.

"You see, my quirk is called One for All. It enhances my strength and speed, but... this quirk..." He paused, letting a long sigh leave his lips. "I wasn't born with it. It was given to me by my Master when I was your age, so I could help people too, and now I'm offering to pass it down to you. What you did is exactly what One for All was created for, to save people."

Izuku stared at him, letting her limbs be unwrapped by the old nurse, and her tears soak her cheeks.

"So, you are saying that you want to give me, as you said quirkless me, your quirk?" She asked, doubting his words.

He shook his head slowly. "I know how it sounds. I didn't believe the first time my master told me about it either, but I'm telling you the truth."

"But why me of all people? You don't even know me."

He licked his lips; it was clear that he didn't like having to tell her whatever it was he was going to say.

"You see, I was never able to know your mother as much as I wanted to, my job was to go in, and distract your father for long enough for her to escape, then leave. But one thing I do know is that she is a kind and strong woman." He peered at her eyes with such intensity she was sure he could see her soul. "I can see her in your eyes, and this power I have is meant for strong people that are willing to lay their lives for the good of people, but it is also made to destroy the evil that created it, the man that still torments Creslia even two hundred years after his birth. Your father."

Even though what he was saying was huge Izuku exclaimed: "Two hundred years?"

He nodded, a small smile on his lips. "Yeah, but this is a story for another time." He got up from his chair. "Is she ready, Chiyo?"

The old lady finished taking away the bandages from her legs. "Yes, she just has to take care to not break anything else."

"Then change, I'll be showing you around before you choose to accept or deny the quirk."

Izuku took the bundle of clothes from Shuzenji and changed behind the curtain on a corner. A white dress with a green bodice plus her red boots and black cloak.

"So, are you ready to go?" The now muscly man asked, pointing at the door with his thumb.

She thanked the old nurse for her help and followed him out into the open air.

All around her, there were houses and markets. People all around chatting and going about their lives, children playing and giggling.

And as it still was only a little bit less than two weeks since the beginning of spring, some houses' roofs were packed with snow.

It was colder than she had ever felt before.

She closed her cloak further around herself, the cold late afternoon air hitting her.

"This is the main city, where the common folk live. Old Chiyo has a place here so she can tend to travellers or the poorer people. But she spends most of her time over on the castle," he explained.

People all around stared at them, murmuring between themselves, asking each other who this girl was.

Plus, men and women in tight leather clothes who bowed at both.

Izuku gawked at them, weren't they cold?

She shook her head, this wasn't important.

She looked back up at the king intending to free herself of any doubt.

"Uhm... Your Majesty?" she asked, her voice loud enough so only the man beside her could hear. "You said your quirk needs someone strong. So why are you offering it to me? I'm quirkless, I'm not strong."

He looked down at her, his smile turning into a more understanding one. "You don't need a quirk to be strong, you just need the will to do what is right in the face of danger, overcoming your own fears."

Izuku looked down to the ground, recalling what her mother had said to her right before she left. "You are going to make great things, Izuku."

And Tenya and Ochaco's. "For someone who is quirkless, you were amazingly skilled at handling that monster."

But she still didn't understand.

They kept on walking until they reached the castle, with its towers looming over them and heroes purring out of the gates.

Sounds of fights and cries of encouragement ringing from the stone walls.

When Izuku moved towards the open doors, he took her to the side, to the forest behind the castle.

Izuku cleared her throat, stopping when they were hidden by the trees, Toshinori looked down at her, again. "Really, Your Majesty, why me?"

He laughed, the sound echoing through the trees, he deflated again, startling her. "You are just like me," he said, then lowered his voice, "As I said before, your friends kept saying that you came here intending to become a hero, a quirkless hero, to save people, someone that is ready to give their lives for others." He locked his sapphire eyes with her emerald ones. "And I can see how much you want to save on your eyes. I couldn't choose a better person to take my throne."

Izuku stopped on her tracks. "Your throne? If I accept this, I will become the Queen of Yuuei?"

"Yes, and when you are strong enough, you will take the fight to your father, and when you win, you will claim your rightful place as the Queen of Mitra too." He said firmly, counting on his fingers.

She shook her head hard and started walking away. "No, I can't do this. I was already apprehensive about taking my father down, and if I won, which is a big if, I don't even know if I would've taken the throne."

"Izuku." He grabbed her shoulders, stopping her. "Listen, what do you want the most in your life?"

She looked away. "To save people, to know the world," she said, eyes shining with every word.

He nodded. "But you are quirkless. Of course, you have the spirit of a hero, but your body isn't ready, it's sad to admit but, if you ever try to save someone from another quirk user or another monster, you will get yourself killed, you know that."

She sighed, the vision of her broken body flashing on her mind.

Seeing he wasn't convincing her, he whispered, "Why don't I train you to take the full extent of One for All, then we talk about this? Why don't I train you into a hero, how does that sound?"

She stared at him for a couple of minutes then smiled sadly and shook her head.

"Thanks for trying to make it easier for me, but…" She looked around. Those woods made her remember the one where they had been attacked. Her fears and uncertainties didn't have a place in this situation anymore, she sighed. "But you are right, without One for All I would just get myself killed or crazily hurt every time I would try to help my friends, and even though the idea of taking your place makes me nervous and think that I am not made for it, it's this or I watch them die while I stand in the side-lines." She raised her arms around her, determination sharing her eyes with doubts as she said: "bring it on."

"Then let me take you back to your friends before they come looking for you."

"Wait." She stopped him.

He cocked his head to the side, his brows furrowed.

"Why did you bring me here?"

"Oh, yeah!" He chuckled. "Here is where I will be training you, so we can talk about One for All without risking people overhearing it."

Izuku looked around, taking in the greenery and its smell.

"I like it here," she said, smiling.

"Good. Let's go then."

He muscled up and guided her back the way they came, this time entering the now silent castle.

They entered the humongous building, passing through some corridors until he pointed at a door. "They should be inside. I will stay here." He gave her one big smile. "The last time I entered there they all bowed and stuttered, well… all but the young King."

The teenager chuckled and entered the room.

"Deku!" Katsuki jumped from the couch he was sitting on in the living room of the castle.

"Kacchan!" She exclaimed as he crushed her in a hug. "Deku!" Katsuki jumped from the couch he was sitting on in the living room.

It was as beautiful as the rest of the castle. The stone walls were draped with blue, yellow, and red tapestries. Comfortable looking chairs and a gorgeous fireplace.

"Kacchan!" She exclaimed as he crushed her in a hug.

She lost count of how many bones he crushed since they met again.

"Why do you keep doing this shit!" He yelled in her ear.

She hid her face on the crook of his shoulder, successfully averting her eyes, ashamed of causing him such worry.

They soaked in each other's presence, Katsuki making sure she wasn't going to disappear if he let go and Izuku taking in the strength that poured from his muscles.

And when she finally felt that she was able to face the rest of her companions, she looked over his shoulder, her eyes falling on the people that were around them.

Ochaco, Tenya, Shoto, Mina and Eijiro were on their feet, showered, fed, and all of them with varying degrees of worry. From Ochaco's teary eyes to Shoto's slight frown on his usually stoic face.

There were also fourteen new eyes on her. But in them, there was only awe and curiosity.

She slowly peeled the spiky ball of worry and fury that was Katsuki from herself, sending him the best reassuring smile she could.

He clicked his tongue, but let her go, crossing his arms over his chest. She went to talk to the rest of her friends, hoping they wouldn't try to kill her either.

"Uhm, Izu-chan," Ochaco said her name, and the other four came to stand in front of Izuku. "Are you okay?"

Izuku nodded, holding her hand up for them to see. "As good as new."

The pink-skinned girl next to her, sighed, a smile gracing her features. She carefully grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the others. "Izu-chan, these are the people who were attacked by the monsters." She showed. "Guys, this is Izuku Midoriya."

Greetings were exchanged.

"What you did out there was awesome!" A boy with bright yellow hair with a black strike that had stuck to Shoto's side said with a big grin.

Most nodded.

"You saved our lives, we are very grateful," a black-haired girl said, getting up from her seat.

She had expensive-looking clothes, and a beautiful headpiece was holding her lustrous hair.

"I'm Princess Momo Yaoyorozu, from Carmeda." She showed with her hand six teens sitting near where she was. "These are my knights and friends, Tsuyu Asui." A frog-like girl waved. "Yuga Aoyama." A unique-looking boy smiled at her. "Kyoka Jiro." A purple-haired girl with strange dagger-like things coming from her ears nodded. "Toru Hagakure." An invisible girl's sleeve waved around. "Koji Koda." A boy with a rock-like head blushed. "And Hitoshi Shinso." A purple-haired boy with the biggest bags under his eyes she had ever seen saluted.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Izuku held out her hand, and Momo shook it.

"Midoriya," Shoto spoke and pointed at the blonde beside him and said. "This is Denki Kaminari, one of my father's knights."

"When his majesty discovered Prince Shoto was missing, he sent me to find him, but I took the Northern exit and ended up meeting these guys rather than the Prince." He pointed at the group of the Princess. "It was a miracle we met again before King Enji found out." By his tone alone, they all could see that just the thought was terrifying.

And by Shoto's face, she could see the mention of his father souring his mood, so she decided not to mention the fact he never said he ran away.

"But by what he told me; I can totally understand why he would've runoff." He approached her, seizing her hand, and placing a kiss on her knuckles. "With a look at you, I would've done the same thing."

Katsuki appeared from somewhere behind her and growled at Denki until he took several steps back. Izuku frowned at him, curiosity flowing from her.

He clicked his tongue. "You see those over there," he asked, nodding at six tribe-looking boys in the corner, ignoring what he just did to the Knight.

"Tribesmen?" She asked.

He nodded. "From the Northern settlement, I won't bother presenting you guys, do it if you wanna." He scoffed but didn't leave her side as the said boys came nearer to present themselves.

There was Mashirao Ojiro who had a tail.

Mezo Shoji who had four extra arms.

Fumikage Tokoyami that had a bird head.

Rikido Sato had the fullest lips she had ever seen on a boy.

Hanta Sero that had big elbows.

And Minoru Mineta who had balls on his head and ended up with a black eye when he tried to raise her skirt.

"Well, now that this matter has been addressed, could you enlighten us to why you did what you did?" Tenya asked, arms crossed and now all the eyes of her friends were on her, worry-free.

Izuku glanced back at the door where Toshinori was standing, unnoticed, not knowing what to reply.

She took in a calming breath. "You were in trouble I couldn't just stand there and watch you get hurt." A lonely tear fell down her cheek.

Without even seeing it roll down her freckled cheek, Toshinori heard the turmoil on her voice and came to her rescue. "Hello, young ones!"

**They were all on their feet, backs straight, even Katsuki had straightened slightly. "I see that you all have recovered well, and I hate to pull you all into danger, but I heard what you all were able to do, so I have been talking to the hero training council these past days and they have accepted to take you all in, what do you all say?"**

* * *

Hello there guys!

I'm so thankful for your support and I'd like to say that I'm going to update this fic the first or second day of every month, but with all of this thing with the Covid-19 my school just gave us two weeks of, let's say "time-out", meaning I had some extra free time so I finished this episode early and decided to post it already.

And I'd like to ask all of you to stay safe and stay home, don't take this lightly, you may not be in the group of risk or your country may not have any cases near you but this is serious, and do think of the old people, kids and ill people who could actually die because of it.

So thanks again and wash your hands!

Kisses!


	4. Ninth User

Toshinori Yagi's proposal was met with only yeses with differing degrees of enthusiasm, but only positive responses, nonetheless.

Which was apparently, "good for you when you get One for All and become queen," he had said after he gave all of them the rest of the day to get settled on their new home and finally showed her room in the trainees' headquarters.

Every time he said the word 'Queen' or 'Princess', however, she really tried not to flinch.

She had to get used to it.

But after you grow up being called useless and worthless, in a small village of the South it was hard to associate yourself with the image of a regal and strong queen, saviour and protector of all, even if half of it had been her dream since very young.

She had just gotten out of the longest bath she had ever taken in her life, and now free of a month's worth of dirt and filth, she simply wanted to fall on her enormous and soft-looking bed.

But that was when she heard a knock coming from her door and some very loud bickering beyond it.

Her friends.

She shook her head, took in a deep breath, and opened the door.

The six of them entered the room without as much as a Hello.

"Hey!" she cried out, fake-indignation and amusement apparent on her voice, as she shut the door after them.

Her room was spacious, she didn't even doubt that it was bigger than her own house.

It had a queen size canopied bed with blue sheets in the centre of the room. The columns on it had flowers woven into it, giving a natural side to the light grey stone of the walls, floors, and ceilings around it.

She had a desk and chair to one side of the door, a wardrobe, and a big mirror on the other, all made of dark rosewood.

There was also a personal restroom so large that when Izuku first saw it, she had nearly fainted.

And lastly, a big window that opened to the balcony. It had a beautiful view of the night sky and the forest that surrounded the castle. Its stone rail and the vines that crept over it were the only things that separated anyone from the drop.

The girls and Eijiro sat on her bed, Shoto leaned on her desk, Katsuki kicked the chair away from the prince and sat ungracefully on it, and Iida stood as straight as a wood board by the wardrobe.

"Well, what brings you guys here?" Izuku asked as she took her brush from the desk to try to free her green locks from its knots, sending questioning looks to Shoto and Katsuki that were on her way there.

But they didn't say anything.

"Let me take care of that." Ochaco made grabby motions for the brush and tapped the floor in front of her with her foot, indicating that she wanted Izuku to sit there so she could brush her hair.

Izuku did as she was told, closing her eyes as the brunette started to untangle her hair.

The only sounds after that were their breathing, the soft tugs of hair and Izuku's occasional hisses.

Izuku, getting enough of the awkward silence that kept stretching, asked again, "why are you guys here?"

"Uhm," Tenya hesitated, not wanting to make her cry like the last time he had asked something.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Shoto finally inquired, in his totally uncareful way when no one said anything.

Izuku's eyes shot open, and let them wander around the room, trying to understand what they were talking about.

"Of course! Chiyo healed me completely!" She said as she stretched her legs, moving them under the skirt of her green dress.

"We aren't talkin' about that, Izu-chan," Eijiro said, hand on her shoulder.

She frowned at him, confused.

"You seemed… out of it earlier," Ochaco clarified as she started to pull her hair into a braid.

Damn her and her easy to read life, Izuku cursed mentally.

Of course, they would notice, mainly Katsuki and Eijiro that knew her for as long as the three of them remembered, even Mina who she only knew for less than one waking day saw it.

But Toshinori had made it abundantly clear that this should stay a secret, at least until he passed One for All and the throne to her. And only to her closest of friends.

Not that they weren't the closest people in her life.

But this kind of secret didn't just affect her like who her father was, it involved the King himself.

She sighed. "It's nothing- ah!"

Ochaco had pulled a little too hard on her friend's locks. "Yeah, right," the pink-cheeked girl said quite sarcastically.

"But it's true!" Her eyes wandered again, they were frowning, not really trusting her words.

Her eyes locked with Katsuki, expecting help, but for once, she couldn't read his expression.

Ochaco finished her braid, sighed, and patted her shoulder, as Mina said, "We aren't trying to push you into telling us, but you can tell us anything, you know, that right?"

Izuku nodded, a smile gracing her features, hiding the slight pain of keeping things from them in the deepest corners of her heart.

"Well then, we should go back to our rooms an' sleep some, anythin' call us, Izu-chan, our names are on the doors," Eijiro said, getting up.

"Uraraka-san and I are just a few doors over." Mina pointed out to said doors from her own opened door as her friends followed them out of her room with worried glances.

And she did see the small glare Shoto sent her way.

After they filled out, only Katsuki remained.

"Those extras are convinced way too easily," he muttered and shook his head. "You are hiding something," he stated louder as he got up and sat with her on the floor, his cloak flowing behind him and pooling around him as he hit the ground.

She huffed and pulled her legs closer to her so she could play with the hem of her dress.

And maybe avoid his heated gaze for a couple of minutes longer.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked when she didn't answer.

She sighed and looked straight into his ruby-red orbs that she could so effortlessly lose herself in.

Eijiro also had red eyes, but Katsuki… Katsuki had a fire in those eyes that captivated her in so many ways. At first sight, they gave off a look of an inferno that could kill if you got too close, but if you took some time and looked deeper one could see the fire was just a bluff, hiding behind it a calculated nature.

"Well?" He called again, bringing her back to earth.

"It really is nothing, Kacchan. I swear that if something happens, I will tell you."

He clicked his tongue, unsatisfied with the answer. "Yeah, as if I believe that."

But before he could say anything else, a knock to her door stopped him.

"Young Izuku? Are you still up?" Came the loud voice of the King through the dark wood of the door.

"Yes! Come on in, Your Majesty!" She said quickly, scrambling to her feet as Katsuki merely looked behind him with a scowl.

Apparently, he lost the awe the King caused on everyone.

The big mop of bright blond hair on the King's head appeared through the crack of the door, his eyes flashing between the teens in surprise.

"Did I interrupt something?"

"Yes," the boy said.

"No," the girl said at the same time.

They shared a look, and he finally got up, standing right beside her, his arms crossed across his chest. "What do you want, old man?" He asked, not caring that this was the King of the land he stood on.

"There are some important matters I need to discuss with young Izuku." Toshinori entered the room, leaving the door open.

But if Katsuki noticed he was unwanted he didn't act on it.

"Alone," the older blond specified, his smile still plastered on his face and the younger one glared.

Before he could bite a snarky reply or curse at the King, however, Izuku grabbed his forearm, forcing him to look at her.

"I really need to talk to his majesty, Kacchan, I will meet you tomorrow, bright and early for a walk okay? So, we can catch up." She smiled brightly up at him.

He groaned and scratched at his neck but didn't say anything else as he left them.

When the door was securely closed after the explosive young King, Toshinori puffed back to his skinny form, drops of blood dripped from his mouth.

"Are you okay?" She asked, fear drenching her.

He took a handkerchief from his pocket, to clean his mouth. "Yes, I…" He sighed.

"Your Majesty… if I may ask, what happened to you? The Ancients of my village told me stories about you and how you saved cities with a smile, but… you appear sick."

Toshinori sat on the chair Katsuki had pushed away from the desk and threaded his long, bony fingers through his hair.

"You see, young Izuku, five years ago your father was going South, looking for you and your mother… He had been trying to gather a group of monsters and villains to find you both, but our heroes had been taking them down until he went himself…" He looked her in the eyes. "He killed every single hero that had been sent to stop his troops, so when I heard about it, I left Yuuei immediately and went there alone."

The King's blue eyes were misty as he raised his jerkin and shirt, showing her a painful-looking red scar that covered the side of his torso that went from the underside of his arm to just above his pants, from his bellybutton to his back.

Izuku gasped at the sight.

"He destroyed my stomach. My respiratory system is always failing. I can't use One for All for more than three hours. But even though I didn't kill him, he was very much hurt after the fight." He let the shirt fall back to its place.

"That's why you want to pass One for All to me," she whispered in realization.

"Not only that but as I said earlier, I really think, you are going to be a great hero." He smiled, no trace of doubt in his face.

Izuku looked away, still somewhat shocked.

"What did you want to talk about?" She asked after a couple of minutes, taking the discarded hairbrush from her bed, and putting it back where she took it from and going back to sit on her mattress, facing the window.

"Oh yes, well in your mother's letter she says you have been training your body since you could walk, so I decided that we should see what you can do if you are pushed to your limits, so I can see how much more training you will need or if I can already give you my quirk."

Izuku turned her head around so quickly she nearly got whiplash. "Already?"

He nodded. "Yes, the sooner you get One for All, the sooner you can master it so you can defeat your father."

Izuku looked out her window again, her room was on the third floor of the trainees building, leaving her right above the treeline, so if she squinted hard enough, she could see the ocean, so peaceful, so different from how she felt at the moment.

"Does that mean I will become Queen right after I get One for All?" She asked, nervousness clear in her voice.

"No, we will leave that for later, when you have some kind of mastery over it, and I want to introduce you to the heroes and other Monarchs."

She let out a breath. She would at least have more time to get used to this before that all came crashing down on her.

"So… when do we do it?"

* * *

"Come on, Izuku! You can do it! This should be the last one!" Toshinori cheered from the top of the boulder he was making her move up the mountain.

He had let her sleep through that night but came for her right before the sun started to rise. Not that she had slept much through that night after what he told her about her father.

The images of faceless people scattered her dreams, blood and ash and bones and flesh everywhere, a bone-chilling laugh thundered around in her head mercilessly.

She didn't know how to react – even less how to deal – with the situation that was left with.

But after making her change into some appropriate attire, he had brought her up a mountain near the castle. After a good hour of hiking, he had her pushing boulders around.

It must be the third she moved in this short period of two hours, but the thing was massive, to say the least, and her arms and legs were already hurting from the strain.

She was incredibly lucky the damn mountain wasn't that high.

And she had been training her body her whole life, taking her mother's products to sell in the market by the strength of her arms as they hadn't had money to buy a cart.

Had trained with a blade so heavy that by only raising it would make her arms quiver. And produced run up and down the hills around her village, chasing down a couple of reckless young dragons ever since she was five.

But never had she tried to move something two times her size.

So, she was starting to think that maybe her mentor was just insane.

"Your Majesty… why are... you having me… huff... push boulders... around... again?" She huffed, still pushing the rock up the slope.

"So I can see what you can do if I just gave One for All to you without being 100% sure that you are ready, your limbs would shoot off," he said simply, following it with a noise that sounded like an explosion.

"Really?!" She shrieked. "But... you do know that… it would be… easier... if you weren't... sitting on it... and adding... who knows... how many... hundreds... of pounds to it." She stopped a bit to free her brows of the excess of sweat accumulating there.

She heard an offended gasp from up the rock. "Are you calling me fat?" Toshinori asked overdramatically.

She had been apprehensive at the beginning to be all alone with the King.

But he had started to show this side of him, where his jokes came easy, and she barely could keep her laugh to herself, the jokes making it abundantly clear she could do the same and, somehow, when she would do something wrong and nearly got herself hurt, his voice would come serious but caring

Just like a father.

Of course, Izuku never had a father figure in her life, the closest being Uncle Masaru, Katsuki's father, who would clean her scraped knees and hands with a caring smile.

And she really didn't want to know how her blood father would've treated her.

She shook herself mentally, this wasn't the time, place or situation. And she couldn't ask more from Toshinori Yagi after everything he was doing for her.

So, she just huffed again and stayed quiet.

After twenty more minutes, she had finally reached the top of the mountain. She left the massive boulder with the others and walked to the drop to see the view from their position.

Izuku laughed loudly, then left out a guttery cry at the completely out sun on the horizon.

"Now if that isn't ready, I don't know what is!" Toshinori laughed.

He slapped her on the shoulder, gave her a canteen full of water and inspected her exposed arms.

Izuku was only wearing her sweaty white undershirt, her dark leggings, and her dirty red shoes.

Through the shirt, it was easy to see the muscles she had been building throughout her life. But when the canteen was drunk dry, she showed her biceps off nevertheless, making him cackle.

"So, you are saying I can take One for All?" She frowned, lowering her arm when he nodded.

She had expected some hardcore training that would take months, years, and a lot of sweat, tears, maybe even some blood and vomit.

"On your mother's letter, she specified that you made it your duty to exercise every day, coming home bruised and tired out of your mind." He glanced up at her eyes, then back at her arm. "Sometimes giving her a heart attack."

Izuku scratched her cheek, not being able to deny it.

"Sooooooo... why did you make me bring those rocks up here?"

He pointed at the path she just had brought the boulders through. "That is the merchants' path. Every year, parts of the mountain break off, falls, and blocks the path, and as you saw, if we brought it down the mountain, it would still be in the way, the only way I found to free the road is to bring it up here, to a place where it won't fall until I can send someone to destroy it."

She didn't know what to say. "That was me helping the community," she finished when it was the only coherent thought swimming in her head, and he nodded. "But are you sure I am ready?"

He frowned at her then burst out laughing, blood flowing out of his mouth as he shrunk. "Izuku my girl! You just brought three massive rocks, each one two times your height and who knows how many times your weight with me on top of them! You are as ready as they come!"

Izuku looked away to hide her tears.

She had waited her whole life to be able to become a hero, to be able to protect herself and those she loved, and now the most powerful Hero in their world was giving his power to her so she could become his successor.

How did this happen again?

"My predecessor told me once that there is a big difference between being lucky and deserving." He puffed back to his muscly form and tore out a strand of hair. "And there isn't anyone that deserves it more than you.

"He handed it to her. "Eat this."

Izuku's eyes were wide.

What did he say?

"Say again?"

"You have to eat some of my DNA so you can receive One for All!"

"'Just have to eat it?' So, anyone can have One for All if they eat some of my DNA?" She asked, slowly taking the blond strand on her fingers.

"Yes, to the first, no to the second. The holder has to want it to be passed on, but it can be forced on someone."

"Oh!" Izuku gulped, and in one sweep movement put it in her mouth.

She nearly gagged.

Pushing herself, she swallowed the strand of hair. She regretted drinking all the water.

"It should kick up in three hours, so eat this." This time he handed her an apple.

She thanked any deity for that.

"We have more training for today, and tomorrow you and your group will start your journey to become heroes."

Izuku bit a piece of her apple.

She couldn't wait.

* * *

"So… does anyone know where we have to go for this training?" The elbow guy - Hanta? - asked the next day.

All twenty-one teens were hanging in the shared room of their trainees' headquarters at approximately ten in the morning.

No one had said when or where they had to be and who would be training them, and now they were left to wonder if they should go or wait.

"Hey Deku, where were you yesterday?" Katsuki asked, flopping beside her, his blond eyebrows on a more prominent scowl than regular.

"What-?" she began, but then she remembered.

She had forgotten she had said they would go for a walk.

The day before, she had left her room and hadn't come back until sundown, barely eating anything other than two apples and the hair.

And the first thing she did when she arrived in her room had been to fall face-first on her bed, only waking up when Ochaco and Mina had come for her not even twenty minutes earlier.

"So, you are the new kids the King has been going on about?" a voice came from their front door, saving her from having to come up with a lie.

They were all startled, turning as one to the door. They saw that a man in all black with a gigantic scarf was standing there.

"I'm Shota Aizawa, I'm the one responsible for your group, now come, we have a packed morning." He turned around and left, not waiting for anyone.

They shared looks and ran to catch up to him.

Aizawa led them to a training field on the west side of the castle and made them stand one beside the other.

"You are going to go through some tests so I can see your strengths and how you can use your quirks," he said. "And those that don't have potential will be sent back to whatever little village in the South that they come from."

As those words left his lips, his eyes locked on Izuku, his frown unreadable.

"You will be undergoing some exams that will test your speed, force, mastery of your quirks, etc. so don't hold back anything," he continued.

"Oh, that sounds fun!" Mina cheered.

"Oh yeah! Let me go first!" Denki held his hand up.

Aizawa's frown deepened. "You think this is fun? You mustn't know the darkness that our world hides, then. Because this job means watching monsters rip children apart without a second thought. Mother Nature punishes us for our wrongdoings. You kids think Hero is just a title, a way to train your quirks and be famous, or even be chosen by the King to take his place, but more importantly, heroes are knights, who fight for the people! We aren't performers, learn the difference before it kills you."

As his words hit them, frowns blossomed and smiles fell, as the teenagers heard his message.

They did understand.

They had lived it.

"Bakugo! Let's start with you."

And thus, began their quirk test.

Running, jumping, throwing.

And Izuku didn't know what to do.

She had eaten the hair barely three hours back, but she didn't feel different from before. But she had to do something, and it was evident that at any opportunity Aizawa would throw any of them out if the stares and judging glances were any sign.

But as the tests went on Izuku was left further and further behind her group, she started fearing she wouldn't be able to stay.

Her strength and speed were good but didn't surpass the quirk users, and many of the tests were perfect opportunities for the rest to use their quirks.

"Your turn, Midoriya," Aizawa called, giving her the ball, she had to throw. "Let's get this over with so we can send you home."

She turned towards him, eyes wide and full of shock.

So, he really was trying to get her out without even seeing what she could do.

The fury bubbled inside her, the need to prove him wrong washing over her bones and muscles.

She turned back towards where the other balls had been thrown.

And that was when she felt it.

The rush she had felt when she had run to save her friends, to prove that she could help them, but now it had the bonus of One for All kicking in.

The quirk activated like lightning on her arm.

She held it back, letting out a breath and with one sweep motion, the ball was sent flying, wind rushing back, sending everyone back a step from the sheer pressure.

But before she could cheer, excruciating pain hit her arm.

Broken.

One for All, the quirk that was given to her so she wouldn't hurt herself when she went to save her friends had broken her.

"Deku!" Explosions echoed, and then she was on the ground cradled by the strong arms she now knew so well. "What the hell, Deku?"

Izuku ignored him for a minute and looked directly at Aizawa over Katsuki's shoulder. "See Sensei, I just have to practice," she said, a smile so big that she was sure he could see her gums.

The grin he gave her was so terrifying it sent shivers down her spine.

She preferred his frown.

"Practice is over for today, you are all dismissed, someone, take her to the nurse. She will take care of her. Don't want one of my students walking around with broken bones, do we?" He asked rhetorically.

Aizawa pointed towards a door to their left and walked away.

Without giving her a second to think about his words, Katsuki was already up, Izuku in his arms, bridal style.

Her friends right behind them.

"I can walk, Kacchan."

She tried wiggling herself out of his grasp, but it only made her arm throb, a hiss escaping from in between her gritted her teeth.

"Stay put!"

"Are you okay, Izu-chan?" Ochaco asked, her voice dripping worry, as she opened the door for them before Katsuki could kick it down.

"Yes, Ochachan."

As they entered the room, Shuzenji Chiyo turned around to chastise anyone who burst so rudely in her office, but gasped and pointed at a bed.

Katsuki laid her there, and all six of them kept staring at her broken arm.

"What happened?" The old lady asked as she ripped the remnants of her torn sleeve shirt.

"We were on the field training, and when it was my turn to throw the ball, I just felt this rush, and the ball was kicking back air pressure, and my arm was broken," Izuku under-explained, really hoping that she wouldn't say anything about One for All.

The old lady stared up at her, her eyes wide but didn't mention anything.

She just kissed her arm.

Izuku screech.

What the hell?!

"That is my quirk," the old woman explained as if understanding what was going through the teen's head. "It stimulates your body and forces it to heal quicker, but that uses stamina." Her voice just above the sound of the last cracks of the bones going back to their places.

Izuku sank into the bed, tired out of her mind.

"But what happened?" Ochaco asked, her voice now steadier.

"As I heard from all of you, she is quirkless, right?"

Eijiro nodded. "Always has been, couldn't even throw the dragon food to attract the younglings when flyin' right above her, even less throwin' it for nearly a whole field."

Chiyo pinched her nose bridge. "Well, I think she just manifested."

Silence fell upon them.

"That's fucking impossible, she is fifteen, she is too old for that," Katsuki spat.

"Then explain to me how she broke her own arm while throwing that ball, Your Majesty." She looked straight at him, her lips and eyebrows set in a frown.

He grumbled but didn't say anything else.

"So… her quirk is super strength at the cost of her arm?" Mina asked.

Shuzenji stared at the now healed arm, the same she had treated the day before and had joked about not breaking again.

"I think that it was just too much pressure released all at once, but in time she should be able to use it without hurting herself."

They nodded then the old lady shooed them away before they could ask anything more.

But Katsuki didn't move, just kept right on staring at Izuku.

Chiyo sighed heavily. "Let her rest, young Bakugo, she just used much of her stamina."

When he didn't answer nor move, Izuku asked without looking away from the harsh way he had set his jaw. "Could you give us a moment, Chiyo-san? Please."

The old woman grumbled something about kid-Kings but left them anyway.

"Why did you hide your quirk from me?" He finally asked after a minute.

"I didn't-"

"So, what was that, Deku? Do you think I'm going to buy that shitty explanation from that old hag?" His voice was loud, anger and confusion clear.

She sat up, trying not to fall back when her head started to spin. "I swear I didn't hide my quirk from you, you know how I was treated in the village, you know how hard I trained and fought, you know that you and Eijichan were my only friends for ten years, and I didn't have any before I meet you guys, why would I ever mislead you like that!" she tried.

"Then tell me, how did you do that, Izuku?" he shouted, his voice breaking as he spoke her real name.

That was when it hit her.

He really did think she had betrayed him.

Hidden and lied.

She had to tell him.

Izuku knew Toshinori had warned her not to say anything, but Katsuki was one of the most important characters in her life, merely the thought of losing his trust shattered her heart and made her sick.

She stretched her hand towards Katsuki, begging for him to take it. "Let me explain."

He shook his head and turned towards the door. "I need time to think."

"Please! Let me explain, Katsuki!"

He left, the door shutting behind him.

Izuku stared at it for a couple of minutes, tears pooling in her eyes, but when she couldn't hold it back anymore, she fell back in bed, hiding under the discarded blankets and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

"Izuku my girl?"

Izuku ignored the King, as she steered back to consciousness, even when she heard the door open and close, the shuffling of his oversized clothes and the scratch of the chair on the stone floor.

She hid. Not wanting to go back to a world where Katsuki wouldn't trust her.

"Young Kirishima told me what happened, I'm sure we can find a way for you to use your quirk without hurting-" he began.

"He thinks I hid my quirk from him," she whispered.

"Yes, Chiyo told me about that."

Izuku sprang out from under the covers. Her eyes were puffy and stinging, and her cheeks felt weird with dried tears sticking to it.

"She heard it?"

Toshinori nodded, looking away a bit ashamed. "She said she was afraid of how young Bakugo would react so stayed on the other side of the door to make sure he didn't do anything he would regret later."

"He would never hurt me!" She cried out; the thought alone made the anger bubble in her veins.

He may not trust her, but she was sure he would never hurt her on purpose.

"But that's what he did."

Izuku cocked her head to the side.

What did that mean?

"He may not have hurt you physically, but he still made you cry." He pointed at her soaking wet pillow.

Izuku looked away from his worried eyes. "I was the one who hurt him, he feels like I betrayed him."

"Why would he feel like that?" The King asked, crossing his arms over his skinny body.

She propped her back on the wall behind her and started to pick on a thread on her shirt, she would have to buy more if she kept hurting herself with One for All and tearing her clothes apart.

"When we were kids, I think we were six or seven, Kacchan and I... we had just come back from my mom's house, and he had tried to get some answers for our questions about my past, and when mother didn't answer, we promised we would tell each other all our secrets. You know, one of those silly pinkie-promises you make when young. But we took it seriously, every time he would come back for another spring, we would spend most time telling each other what had happened during the other three seasons." Izuku looked up at Toshinori. "He thinks I broke the promise."

As the words came out, her throat went dry, and she would have started to cry if she hadn't already cried everything she had on her.

"You want to tell him, don't you?"

The King's voice wasn't judgemental, he sincerely wanted to know if this would help her.

She nodded, trying to free her cheeks from the dried tears with the back of her hand.

The sigh he let go was so long she was expecting he would fall back from lack of air.

"Do you trust him?"

"With my life," she said without a second hesitation.

He nodded and stayed silent.

Izuku stared at him as he thought it over.

The older man blew a breath that she took as a chuckle. "Just let him calm down and then tell him, how does that-" She cut him right off with a hug.

"Thank you so much, Toshi!"

He chuckled at the nickname. "No worries, but you should go back and eat something. It's nearly four, and you haven't eaten since this morning." She let go of him. "And maybe change into some clothes that aren't falling apart."

She gave his raised eyebrow a small smile full of gratitude and ran off.

* * *

Izuku was now clean and clothed with, as the King had said "clothes that aren't falling apart" and was now heading down the stairs to eat something.

Now that she was wandering around, she could feel how starved she really was.

In the kitchen she found the other girls of their group with Ochaco and Mina, chatting about something.

"Speaking of the devil," the purple-haired girl said with a smile.

"Izu-chan!" the pink-cheeked girls cheered.

The greenette was taken aback, by the other girl's words. "Am I a devil?" She laughed. "But why were you talking about me?"

"Oh, Midoriya-san, we were discussing your injury history with your friends. And I am glad to see the nurse has healed you," the princess said, a small smile on her lips.

"Yeah, she sure has." Izuku scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "I have a feeling she will have to do that a lot from now on," she whispered under her breath.

"Here eat this!" The Invisible girl gave her a bowl with stew, shooing those thoughts away. "We saw you arrive earlier, so we decided to fix you something to eat!"

Izuku took it and gave them a big smile. "Thank you! You didn't have to."

"No worries." Kyoka waved her hand dismissively, playing with the strange appendages hanging from her ear.

Izuku ate but kept staring at them, trying to figure out their quirks, making mental notes to write down on her notebook later.

"What is it, Midoriya-chan?" The frog-looking girl asked when she picked up on the stare – and muttering.

"Oh, nothing." She stuffed her mouth with stew, to shut herself up.

As if she was going to scare them away with her creepy customs the first time they talked.

"If you say so."

And as she thought she was being left alone; the girl turned back to her. "You see Midoriya-chan, I'm a very straightforward person, so excuse me if I come off as rude, but your quirk looks just like what is said of the King's, is there any connection?" Those words brought everyone's attention to them.

Izuku's eyes went wide.

"Um…" she coughed. "No there's no connection Asui-chan." She shook her head.

"Oh, call me Tsu," she corrected but didn't press.

"Hey, there, girls! Izu-chan! Are you okay?" An awfully familiar voice came from behind her, and she thanked the Gods for Eijiro.

She turned around and found him walking into the kitchen followed by Shoto, Tenya and some of the other boys.

She was glad they were all making friends while she was away breaking bones.

"Hey, Eijichan… how is Kacchan?" She asked, worried about the answer but needing to know.

The sound that came through his mouth was a mixture of a sigh and a chuckle. "You know Bakubro, he went out into the patio, blew some trees up and flew out with Rohy." He pointed to a set of doors that lead to an open area where she could see Indry and Rycun sleeping, plus a considerate number of horses and two other dragons.

"He left?" She was up on her feet.

"For a walk, or should I say a flight." He laughed, but when she didn't, he grabbed her shoulder. "Give him time, he has some plans, and all this has set them on hold, he just needs to clear his head."

"What plans?" Izuku and Shoto asked at the same time.

Eijiro's eyes went as wide as a saucer, he and Mina shared a look, and the pink-skinned girl glared at him.

"It's nothing, Izu-chan, just something the Queen has been pestering him about," Mina explained, still sending daggers at Eijiro.

Seeing she wasn't getting any answers, Izuku sighed and left them, thanking the girls again for the food.

She headed back to her room, took her notebook and went back down.

She intended on taking care of Indry.

Maybe write something about the quirks of her new companions.

Or ideas for her own quirk.

And probably a plan about how she was going to tell Katsuki about all of this.

**And maybe distract herself from the guilt that was making a hole in her heart**

* * *

Hey, guys!  
I hope you are all home and washing your hands!  
Stay safe!  
Kisses.


	5. Necessary Fights

Heeeeeeeey!  
Well, I to everyone that has been following this fic for a while, I'm sorry to tell you that I edited the previous chapters. It's not that major, and it isn't plot-changing, but there are somethings that I needed to correct.  
Now that is out of the way, Thank you for reading and I hope you guys like it!

* * *

It took two days.

Two days of a lot of scattered concentration and right-before-bed thinking for Izuku to come up with an idea to minimize the cost One for All had on her body.

The teenager had been laying beside Indry a couple of days after her first training with Aizawa and the rest of group 1A (as Toshinori Yagi had named them as such one day before when a new wave of teenagers arrived to take the hero training).

And when Katsuki kept right on ignoring her, to the point that, or he was as far away as he could possibly be from her when in the same room or somewhere else, flying with Rohy.

And even though she craved to mount on Indry and follow him, she was glad her friends talked her out of it.

She was sure Katsuki would yell at her and ignore her for even longer if she followed him.

But now that she put "Project: Telling-Kacchan-About-One-For-All-And-Hoping-He-Does-Not-Decide-To-Call-Me-Crazy-And-Cut-Me-Out-Of-His-Life" on hold, she had finally started putting some thought into how to make the previously mentioned quirk her own.

If she tried it now and got herself hurt, however, Aizawa would expel her for not being able to control her own power.

But presumably, they were going to have an exercise that day, and she was hoping to put her ideas into action then.

And maybe not break anything.

At that moment, as if summoned, Tenya appeared by the backdoor.

She had been expecting him to come around as he was the only one who seemed to know the times and places of their training.

She really didn't know how he did that, but she was grateful he did. She sincerely didn't want to know what would happen if they were late for one of Aizawa's lessons.

"Midoriya, we will be having a training session with the King, are you ready for it?" Tenya asked, making her turn towards him and give him a small nod. "You should come inside; His Majesty will be here at any instant."

"Great! I can't wait to put in some training!" She jumped to her feet, petted her dragon in the head, making the dragon purr under her palm. "I will take you out for some fresh air later, how does that sound to you?"

She moved under Izuku's palm as if to confirm, and Izuku followed Tenya inside.

"Hey Izu-chan, come sit with us!" Mina waved at her, and Ochaco patted the place between them.

Izuku felt guilty for the lack of time she spent with them since they arrived at Yuuei, mainly because of everything they went through together, so she smiled broadly and sat there.

"So, what have you been doing?" Ochaco asked, frowning. "I went searching for you this morning, but I couldn't find you, and Mina-chan told me she was looking for you yesterday and came up empty too," she informed her.

Both girls were staring at her, boring into her soul. They had become close in these last few days, Izuku noted mentally, but preferred to keep that thought to herself, not wanting to annoy her overprotective friends further than they seemed.

"Well-" Izuku coughed awkwardly, fidgeting under their sudden change of demeanour. "After breaking my arm, a couple of days ago, His Majesty came to see me by the infirmary and told me I should train to make my body stronger. So, I've been spending most of my waking time in the forest training under his tutelage," she said right above a whisper.

Both girls' eyes were wide. "You are spending time with the King?!" they whispered-yelled in unison.

Izuku shushed them when some of the others looked at them. One of them being Katsuki, whose frown was evident, but at least he was looking at her.

Eijiro's hand was placed on the young King and friend's shoulder with a concerned glance going from him to her.

She stood up, but the blond turned his face to the other side. A clear sign that if she came closer, he would blow her up, metaphorically.

She flopped back on the sofa with a sad sigh.

"He just needs more time, Izu-chan," Mina said quietly.

"You guys didn't." Her voice was so low that for one instant, she thought she hadn't said it.

But when Mina huffed, her hand covering her face, she was sure they had heard her.

"Damn that emotionally constipated boy," she muttered, annoyed, then turned to Izuku. "Look Izu-chan, I guarantee you that we were very shocked when we saw what you did, but… his Majesty has known you for longer, and Eijiro told me you were inseparable, more than he ever was to you or the King for that matter. So, he just needs more time," she said again, this time with more conviction.

Izuku started saying that Eijiro knew her for as long as Katsuki had, but he didn't seem mad like she had betrayed him, but she stopped herself.

That would've been petty of her.

Izuku looked down at her hands, Ochaco trying to comfort her by making slow circles on her back. She hated this situation where she didn't know what would happen between them.

"I'm here!" Toshinori burst through the front door, making everyone jump, and saving Izuku from the loop of self-deprecating thoughts her mind had started to provide her. "Are you kids ready for your first battle training?"

The sound of pure happiness from the teenagers left the green-haired girl's ears ringing.

Before the ringing in her ears stopped, Izuku was being pulled up and away.

Her friends were cheering as they led her through the door, and she tried to soak up that happiness.

"Ok kids!" Toshinori rounded them up when they reached a meadow with grass as tall as Minoru's chin, far away from the main building, right where a darker forest began. "Today we are going to have some more practical exercises, as I said earlier, I am going to have you all do some battle exercises. This training is meant to push you to become great heroes that can take care of any monster." His eyes glanced over them, and when his eyes met hers, he said, "To some, it will lead them to become great leaders, to be able to rally the people behind their cause."

"But how is this exercise going to operate?" Tenya frowned to Izuku's right, ignoring the King's last words.

The taller boy was downing his armour, his helmet under one of his arms, the other raised high.

"I am going to pair you guys into nine groups of two and one group of three and have your group go up against another in a fight. For the pair-ups, we are going to draw lots." He showed a small bag that Izuku supposed was filled with each of their names. "Then one team is going into the forest to hide this." The man moved aside to show a small, wooden chest. "This 'treasure' must be protected by, let's call them the Keepers, while the other team, uhm… the Snatchers? Yeah! The Snatchers must take it from them. After ten minutes if the Keepers still have the chest, they win, but if they get 'captured', knocked out or the 'treasure' is taken from them, they lose, the same goes for the Snatchers, the only difference is that they have to take the 'treasure'. Any other questions?"

"How are we supposed to capture our opponents? Is there any particular way to do it?" Tenya asked the questions one after the other.

"To capture your opponents, you will use this." He held out his hand, which was holding a thick, long thread. The teenagers frowned up at him. "The moment you tie this to one of them they are out, but you can also use your environment, although it won't count as an immediate elimination."

"And how is selecting our partners by lots a good strategy?" The speckled boy continued.

"Imagine it, Iida-kun, when you are somewhere else fighting against a villain, you can't always choose which hero is sent out there with you," Izuku explained, waving her hands around.

"Quite like when we first met you, Midoriya. Isn't it right, Uraraka?"

The brunette nodded to Izuku's other side.

"Anyone else?" Toshinori questioned.

Tsuyu raised her hand. "Do we have to worry about getting sent away like with Aizawa-sensei? And how is this going to be overseen?"

The King's smile broadened. "I see Aizawa-kun has left quite an impression on you, younglings. But no, there is no need to worry about that during my classes, and to answer your other question, while the exercise happens, the rest of the group is going to observe without interference, so we can learn from others' mistakes."

Toshinori looked around to see if there were any other doubts.

"What did you mean by 'they have to take the treasure'?" Izuku frowned, remembering the words.

"The Snatchers have to take the chest and come back here with it unless they take their adversaries out."

"Can we use our quirks?" Katsuki demanded right after.

The taller blond nodded. "This is the perfect way to see if you all understand the best way to use it in a battle scenario."

After that, there wasn't any other question, so he started sorting them into pairs.

Izuku ended up with Denki, Shoto's knight. The blond sent her a smile that she couldn't place when their names were called.

Katsuki, Izuku noted, was paired with Eijiro. She was sorry for whoever ended up against them.

For as long as she could remember, those two were trained to be warriors.

Of course, Katsuki was the future Tribe King, and she had learned that it meant the strongest warrior possible, but Eijiro, as he was Katsuki's closest friend, was meant to be his second in command, the one who would train the next generation.

Would train the King's heir.

"So, Midoriya." Denki, who was now beside her, brought her back to reality, his face split with a smile. "What do you think about-"

"Ok!" The King's voice cut through whatever the blond was going to say. "Let's see your opponents for today's fights."

He put his meaty hand inside the bag again and pulled out two group names.

"Midoriya and Kaminari as the Snatchers, against Bakugo and Kirishima as the Keepers!" He said.

Izuku's heart dropped to her feet.

Shock filled emerald eyes met furious ruby ones.

She quickly looked away, heading shakily towards the King to begin the exercise, Denki hurrying after her.

"Well then, kids." Toshinori handed the chest to Eijiro. "You boys will have five minutes to choose somewhere to hide your chest, then the other team will go in. Usage of your quirks is permitted, as I said earlier. But unnecessary harm is a hundred percent prohibited," he told them, his eyes quickly glancing at Katsuki, then talked to the rest of the group, "During these five minutes the rest of you can find somewhere to stay and see what will happen."

After that, he sent the boys on their way.

Katsuki ignored Izuku all the while, only sending one last glare her way before he was engulfed by the trees.

"So..." Denki caught her attention, and for the first time, she saw him frowning. "What's the deal with Bakugo?"

Izuku sighed. "It's nothing, let's make a plan." She changed the subject. "Tell me about your quirk."

Denki's smile came back, he held his hand in between them and with one movement of his fingers, his palm filled with tiny lightning bolts.

"Wow! That's awesome!"

"Thanks for the compliment, but I can't shoot it out, and the more I use it at once, the dumber I get, and if I surpass my limits I go dumb for about an hour, so..." he trailed off.

Izuku hummed in understanding. They would have to do this quickly then. If they let Katsuki and Eijiro grow momentum, they would be useless.

Mainly because of Katsuki.

She had seen him fighting when they were young, and even then, he was already amazing.

So, the only way of doing this was by...

And then the teenager went into a muttering spree that left Denki kinda creeped out.

"Umm... Midoriya?" He tried when a couple of minutes of it passed them by.

"I have an idea," she said, ignoring his raised eyebrows.

"You don't seem happy about it,"

She looked away from him, seeing as some of the others were already inside the forest. And the frown Ochaco and Mina gave her made her turn back towards her partner.

"Kacchan is going to be a problem, the moment he attacks I need you-"

"Midoriya, Kaminari!" The King cut her, "here." He handed each of them the thick threads he had shown them earlier. "I gave to the others too."

They took it, thanking the man, and when Izuku was starting again, Toshinori spoke over her, and she shut her mouth. "You two should be careful out there, the young King was particularly angry before he went."

Izuku coughed into her hand as guilt strangled her.

"Of course, Your Majesty." They both nodded, and the King walked away. But she did notice the worried lilt of his always present smile.

Katsuki wasn't taking this as an exercise.

He was going to use this to settle their situation.

"As I was saying," she continued, "Kacchan is the main problem, the longer we let him use his quirk, the stronger he gets. So, when he attacks, I want you to go to where he came from, try to be as stealthy as you can and find Eijichan. And when you use your quirk, I don't think there will be a need to pass your limit, but the moment you do use it, you take that chest and run." The look in her emerald eyes made him flinch.

"W-why?"

"Your quirk produces light, I bet it will tell Kacchan where you are. If he finds you, he will take you out without a second thought."

Denki gulped but nodded in agreement.

"And what are you going to do?"

She exhaled, the thought alone giving her bad vibes.

"I'll keep him distracted."

She knew Katsuki wasn't going to hurt her on purpose, but she also knew what he did to his opponents, and that left her conflicted.

"OK! Are you all ready?" Toshinori caught the attention of everyone left on the meadow.

Izuku and Denki nodded.

"Then go!"

And the two entered the forest in silence, the others dispersing around them to hide on the trees.

"We can do this," she whispered to herself.

"Good luck," he said, and both fell silent, not wanting to drag any attention towards them.

They passed through the trees, slowly, looking up every few seconds to make sure that neither Katsuki nor Eijiro would drop on top of them.

After a minute of walking, they couldn't see the meadow they had been waiting on, and as the hunter he was taught to be since he could walk, Katsuki jumped from behind a quite large tree-trunk, his right hand reaching for them.

Denki tripped over and fell back in shock, attempting to get away from the smoking hand.

Izuku dropped to her knees, trying not to be pushed back when the explosion went off only a couple of inches over her head.

Her eyes screwed shut, and her hand flew to cover her nose and mouth from the smoke.

"Quick reflexes, Deku." Katsuki snarled. Izuku's eyes burst wide open, never having heard that twist to the nickname.

Of course, the first time it was said had been an insult, but never in the ten years they knew each other, the name came out with such anger.

When their eyes met, his bright red ones were glinting with betrayal and hurt. "But you know I am faster!"

He pointed his other arm towards Denki, his palm already smoking from another blast to come.

Izuku lunged at Denki, pushing him away. They both rolled over the grass and roots, coming to a stop when they hit a trunk.

She immediately pushed herself away from him and assessed the damage. Her legging's leg was torn, but she had moved quick enough to not get burnt herself, and Denki only had a small scrape on his hand and a growing bruise on his shoulder where it met the tree.

"Are you alright?" The boy beside her asked, his voice trembling.

She gave a quick nod. "Go," she whispered.

"Are you sure?"

"Go!" she ordered, already on her feet, standing in front of her childhood friend.

Denki nodded awkwardly, picked himself off the ground and ran off to where she hoped Eijiro and the chest were hiding.

"Deku!" Katsuki yelled, ignoring her ally as he launched himself at her, one hand behind his back, the other reaching towards her.

Izuku side-stepped it by barely a hair, making Katsuki's hand come to strike the tree that was right behind her.

It exploded immediately, sending both teens up in the air, splinters ripping at their clothes and flesh.

She rolled on the grass again, stopping on her back. The top of her head rested a palm away from a tree root, with the force she had been going it would have taken her out if she had hit it.

A grumble to her left made her sit up on one move, which was a bad idea as it left her head spinning.

Katsuki was on his stomach, pushing himself upright, curses tumbling from his mouth.

Izuku jumped to her feet and rushed to his side. "Are you alright, Kacchan?"

"Shut up!" He yelled, his voice simmering with anger.

She stumbled away from him, the blond back on his feet.

"You don't have the right to worry about me after what you fucking did!"

Without giving her another second to breathe or say a word, he blasted his way towards her, and she took off running to the opposing way Denki had gone to, using the trees to hinder his movements.

She had to explain the situation to him, but when she opened her mouth, she got a glimpse of who she supposed was Princess Momo.

They were surrounded by people, she remembered.

She couldn't tell him; they would hear her.

"I didn't lie to you, Kacchan!" she settled for shouting when a couple of minutes of running and dodging went by.

"You were quirkless, Deku!" his voice came way closer than she expected, but she refused to look behind her.

She had to shake him off, but she couldn't risk using One for All here, not when she could break a bone.

She didn't even know how long she had left. For all she knew, she could still have more than five minutes and breaking herself so early on could compromise Denki.

So Izuku did what she knew best since she was old enough to walk.

She jumped on a tree and climbed.

The green-haired teen had used this technique many times before, but never on Katsuki, she had used it on her bullies. They had never been ones to look up for the quirkless little girl.

Those trees were taller than she was used to, but their branches were strong enough that she could stand on them. Not that she did that for longer than a second.

"Deku!" She heard Katsuki's yell when she jumped from one branch to another like she was a squirrel.

She took the trees to her right, so to go back the way they came from in the hopes to help Denki.

She hadn't seen any light or heard any cries for help, but the latter might be from all the explosions and yelling that came from Katsuki.

After a couple more shaggy breaths, she couldn't hear him anymore, so she rested a bit against the foliage.

When her lungs weren't hurting from the lack of air, she slowly lowered herself, looking out for Katsuki.

When she was sure he wasn't in the close vicinity, she let go of the branch and touched solid ground and ran back, making sure to see where she stepped.

She reached the tree Katsuki destroyed before she heard the crackling of Denki's quirk and two yells.

His and Eijiro's.

Izuku ran off, not caring anymore if Katsuki caught up to her, he undoubtedly heard the quirk from wherever he was anyway and was making his way to them.

Her heart was trying to escape her ribcage. Her lungs were burning, pleading for air. Her legs, screaming. But she didn't stop, couldn't.

Until she reached the source of the yell.

The grass under her feet was charred. Eijiro was on the ground, smoke coming from his skin, but she could clearly see him breathing. Denki was babbling something to the side, his limit exceeded, but not hurt.

And precisely to the redhead's feet was what their mission asked of them.

The chest.

She could hear the others' talking coming from deeper in the woods, and over that, she could catch Katsuki's explosions getting nearer.

After making sure Eijiro was okay, Izuku tied his legs to make sure he wasn't going to wake up and go after her.

When that was dealt with, she quickly took the chest on one arm, grabbed Denki's hand and started running.

This may be an exercise, but she would be damned if she left the poor blond to deal with Katsuki when the explosive boy was angry.

But Denki ended up slowing her down. Even though she was half dragging him along, he still bumped into trees and got stuck in the roots.

And his babbling! She might be trying to make as little noise as humanly possible, but he kept talking.

Was this how the people who knew her felt when she started to mumble?

"DEKU!"

She heard the shout over the trees as the explosion shook them from its force.

"Yihai!" Denki cheered beside her.

Izuku stopped in her tracks. If they continued like this Katsuki would find them, and she wouldn't be able to fight him, protect Denki and complete the mission at once.

So, when she heard successive explosions nearing, she made her choice.

Izuku passed the chest to Denki, who thankfully grabbed on to it with a "yeep!"

She then swept him on her arms, earning her what she thought to be a giggle then picked her pace again, this time without delays.

At every blast that came from behind her, Izuku tried to make it faster.

But apparently, her luck was over.

"There you are Deku!"

And with the biggest explosion yet, Izuku, Denki and the chest went flying.

Her ears started to ring for the second time that day, and she couldn't hear anything. Her head started to feel heavy when she tried to look around.

Her senses slowly came back to her, as they were overwhelmed again by yelling that she identified as Katsuki and the way more normal tone of Toshinori Yagi.

"... do that. You will be disqualified." The King was saying.

"I wasn't going to fucking kill her!" the boy yelled.

Izuku now on her knees took in the situation. Denki was out a few feet away, the chest in between them.

She glanced at the arguing blonds and the worried glances of the other teenagers around as Izuku made her way to her partner.

Izuku placed her fingers to his neck, letting a breath leave her when she found a pulse.

She gave a quick nod to the others' general direction and stood up on her shaky legs.

"Are you okay, Midoriya?" Toshinori asked.

"Yeah," she said, her eyes averting Katsuki's form.

The King started to say something, but changed at the last minute, "You have one minute,"

With his words, he got back under the branches to observe.

And Izuku didn't need to be told twice.

She picked the chest up again and took off, she had an idea, but she had to time this perfectly.

"Come back here!" Katsuki growled.

Not yet.

An explosion.

Not yet.

Heavy boots against the grass.

Not yet.

Snaps of roots and fallen branches.

Not yet.

And repeat.

Not yet.

Boom, thump, crack.

Nearly

The light of the clearing.

Now.

Izuku clutched the chest in one arm, turned around in a twirl and directed her arm towards Katsuki.

He stopped on his tracks, his mouth open in a word that she just killed unintentionally.

One for All flowed on her fingers, but when she met his eyes, the shock she found in them made her change her mind. She quickly swung her arm towards the tree to his left and flicked her finger.

The pressure that left her from that tiny motion made her finger shatter and the tree pop, sending both airborne, again.

But this time she had a plan for her landing.

She soared through the branches as they hit her head and shoulders, clutching the 'treasure' to her chest until there weren't any more trees on her way.

She flipped on the air, hitting the ground of the meadow on her feet and skidding to a stop a couple of feet away.

She had made it.

With that, she dropped to her knees, letting her body steady, but when she heard the nearing footsteps, she looked up.

Ochaco and Mina on the front summed up the whole expressions the others had.

Worry and shock.

"Izuchan!" They both ran towards her as the King's proud smile caught her eyes.

"The Snatcher's win!" He officialised.

Then Katsuki pushed his way to the front of the line.

To say he was fuming was an understatement.

By then Mina and Ochaco were already beside her, fussing over her broken finger.

"That was awesome, Izuchan!" Mina cheered, taking the chest from her and giving it to Ochaco who made it float over to where the rest were talking and glancing worriedly. "That twirl at the end needs some work, but I would love to teach you."

"That really was impressive," the brunette agreed, "but if you could just do that without hurting yourself." She shook her head at the sight of the purple finger.

"It's nothing,"

"But it is!" Ochaco cried out like her mother did when Izuku would come home with bruises from the other kids' quirks. "I may not know you for long, but I can see the pattern, you are too stubborn! Running around helping everyone in sight and never letting go of your goals!"

Izuku raised an eyebrow. "Is that bad?"

"No!" She extended her arms in frustration then sighed. "You just don't have limits, and… I'm afraid you are going to hurt yourself to an extent where going to Chiyo-san won't be enough."

Everyone nodded, apparently, they had been listening.

"I won't," Izuku tried to comfort her even though she could know if she could keep that promise.

"Well, as I see young Uraraka has already scolded you, I will let you go see the nurse." The King pointed the way they came. "But be warned that Aizawa will be notified about this, and he won't be so merciful."

Izuku shuddered, then remembered.

"But…" she looked at Katsuki who was strapping his feet, cloak over his shoulders, and frown set on his face. "Eijichan? And Kaminari-kun?"

"They are over here," The King pointed at the two boys that were placed on the floor in front of him, she moved around to see over the tall grass and noticed their colourful hairs. "I know you are hurt, but we are way too far, and we need to continue the exercise, so I'm hoping you can take them with you."

At the sight of the boys, Izuku sighed and got up, nodding.

"Good luck, guys!" She waved her hand at them.

"Be careful," Ochaco told her.

Izuku moved to where the boys were as Shoto grabbed Denki out of the floor to help her.

"I always try," she mumbled, taking Denki from the Prince's arms, trying to avoid contact with her throbbing finger.

"Then try harder!" She said vehemently in a half-joking, half concerned tone.

Izuku smiled and looked down at Eijiro. "And Eijichan?"

"Explodo-king can take care of him, now go."

The dual-coloured boy glared at her finger.

Izuku glanced at Katsuki who still wasn't looking at her and got on her way.

She was happy she won the exercise without a significant injury, One for All helped her more than harmed her, so she classified that under a win by itself.

And Denki and Eijiro weren't hurt, just knocked out.

The only problem now was...

"Hey, nerd," said-problem called out to her, his voice came calmer than it has in the last few days.

She turned around surprised as she saw Katsuki come up to her, Eijiro's unconscious body thrown over his shoulder like he would a dead deer after a hunt, but when he reached her, he didn't stop.

So, she picked up her pace to catch up.

"Um… Kacchan, can I-"

"Shut up, just listen," he growled, then fell silent.

Big doe eyes stared at the side of his head, expecting.

"I- uh, I'm sorry-"

"Don't!" She cut him, the look he gave her was stunned and slightly relieved. "Don't apologise, I know you think I betrayed you, and I just... Want to tell you-"

"But you can't." He looked away. "It's something about that fucking King, isn't it?"

"I never said I couldn't tell you." She sighed. "And it is about the King, and he told me I could tell you."

"Since when do you need his fucking permission to do anything?"

He moved Eijiro up his shoulder. Poor Eijiro would end up with a nasty bruise.

"This is not the moment, Kacchan!" she chastised.

"When is it time then, Deku?"

"When we don't have two unconscious boys in our arms, and when we aren't going to get healed and anyone could hear us!"

"Fine!"

And they spent the rest of their walk, in relative silence, only being disturbed by the unintelligible noises coming from Denki and Eijiro.

When they finally reached the castle grounds, they earned odd looks that Katsuki blatantly growled at, and when they entered the old lady's office, she wasn't as surprised as she had been the last time.

"What now, young Midoriya."

Izuku and Katsuki placed the unconscious boys on the beds, and the girl explained what happened.

"You have to learn how to use your quirk!" The old woman scolded, kissing her finger, healing it instantaneously, and when Izuku was sitting down, she turned towards the boy. "and you, Your Majesty?"

Izuku turned towards him, and he grumbled, walked towards them, lifted his cloak, and exposed a deep cut on his left arm.

"When did you get that?" Izuku asked as Chiyo cleaned the wound, and then she saw it, the sharp-looking splinter of wood jotting out of his skin. "It's from when I used my quirk, isn't it? I'm so-"

"Shut up, it wasn't your damn fault, nerd."

Chiyo then grabbed a pincer from her table. "This might hurt," she said as in one tug she ripped the little piece of wood from his shoulder.

He hissed and cursed some.

The old lady then kissed his shoulder, and there wasn't even a scar.

"See, it was just a scratch," he said, his voice without a hit of pain.

She looked away anyway, guilt bubbling under her skin.

She had hurt him again.

"Okay, I want you both to go to your rooms and sleep. If I see you out and about, I will make sure Aizawa knows about it, and you won't like his punishments."

Izuku understood now, Aizawa was so scary that everyone used him as the ultimate card around here, but the worst was that it worked.

So, she just nodded, and Katsuki grumbled but didn't say anything else.

"And them?" The greenette pointed at the still unconscious boys.

The old lady waved her concerns away. "They just need some sleep, like you two, now go." And she shooed them away.

They started to leave when the old lady grabbed Izuku's hand and made her lower herself until she could whisper in her ear, "I expect that your situation with the young King has been dealt with."

Izuku turned just enough to hide her mouth from Katsuki, who was frowning at them, "When we leave here-"

"No, you will sleep, I know you don't have more classes today, so after you are rested, fed, and clean, you will talk, do you understand me?"

The pointed look Chiyo gave her didn't leave room for doubt, so she just nodded.

"Perfect, now out of here, I'm tired of your faces already."

And they finally left.

When they were a couple of steps away, Katsuki stopped throwing stares between the door and Izuku and said, "What the fuck was that?"

"She was worried we weren't going to rest," Izuku understated.

"As if I'm sleeping! You are telling me what the hell you did to get a-"

"Kacchan!" She jumped at him, covering his mouth with hands.

They stared into each other's eyes, hers so big with dread that it shut him down.

So, she let go of him, his cheeks red with anger.

She sighed. "I'm going to sleep, Chiyo's quirk leaves me dead on my feet, so when I wake up, we are going to talk, okay?"

He looked at her from head to toe, then huffed and crossed his arms against his chest. "Fine, whatever."

After that, they walked back in silence.

When reaching the stairs of their building Izuku sent him a smile and went back to her room

She threw her One-for-All-torn clothes into the growing pile to replace, took a relaxing bath, put on some cosy clothes, fell like a rock on her bed and let her body finally relax at the prospect of telling Katsuki about her new quirk.

Maybe even go back to normal.

* * *

Thanks for reading!  
Don't forget to leave a comment, your thoughts on this are very important to me.  
And I had a question to ask.  
Would you guys like an episode or a spin-off on Katsuki's POV?  
Stay at home, wash your hands, use your masks, save lives people!  
Kisses!


	6. Truths Be Told

**H****eeeeeey...  
I know, I know, I'm late.  
Online School is a bitch, meaning I didn't have time to write, and when I did, well, let's just say that procrastination is a bitch too.  
But no more excuses, let's see what we have for today, shall we?**

* * *

Izuku was now back down in the main room of their trainees' headquarters where she found the rest of the group dispersed around the room.

She had gone to sleep and, by some miracle, slept an actual total of four hours before the noise downstairs woke her back up.

And let's be honest, her new group mates were very boisterous.

And that was to be kind.

Some of them were running around and yelling, but at least they were having fun.

"Hey, Deku!" Katsuki called her from the door that leads outside. His toned biceps locked around his chest, a frown on his eyebrows as he leaned against the door frame.

"Hey, Kacchan!" She sauntered toward him with her usual cheer.

"Slept?"

"Yeah! I feel better, thanks for asking! Did you?"

She knew what he wanted, but she also knew he understood they couldn't talk about it in front of everyone, and she was very thankful for his uncharacteristic subtlety.

"Yeah, but the extras' noises woke me the fuck up, came down to get it down a notch," he growled, his eyes trailing Denki and Minoru running from the girls who were yelling at them.

Izuku didn't want to know what they did, but she called after Denki anyway.

"Hey, Kaminari-kun!"

The blond stopped on his tracks, his eyes flying towards her, smiling big.

He didn't even have a scratch on him.

"Yo, Midoriya! The others told me how you won! That sounded awesome!" he cheered, his hand punching the air with giddiness.

"We won." She corrected him.

His hand fell on his neck. "I didn't do much, you were the one who brought the chest back to base." He glanced at Katsuki, who was still beside Izuku. "And no offence, you kicked his ass as the other said."

"She didn't kick my ass, you fuckface!" Katsuki shouted on his face.

Izuku shook her head at their antics.

"I really didn't, it was pure luck. And you helped a lot if it wasn't for you I would have had to deal with Eijichan and Kacchan. And let's be all honest I would've been pounded to the ground," she confessed.

"Of course you would. Shitty-hair and I fight together since for-fucking-ever," Katsuki boosted.

"But we still won!" Denki said.

"And it was super hot, how her clothes ended up all tattered. There were no titties or anything, but so much skin!" Minoru said suddenly on her side.

Izuku flinched away from him. She didn't like the boy, the first time they met he had tried to raise her skirt.

And just like the first time, Katsuki exploded on his face.

With that, Denki ran after his soaring friend and left the two alone again.

"Let's go," Katsuki tried to take her hand, but she grabbed his arm instead.

"Let me eat something then we can go for a walk, how does that sound to you?" she asked, sure he would catch her meaning.

Katsuki huffed. "Hurry."

She quickly left his side and entered the kitchen. She pondered for less than a second on what she would eat, then grabbed a piece of fresh bread and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Hey, Izuchan! Are you okay? Sit, you should eat something more than just bread!" Ochaco told her sternly when Izuku was already turning around to return to Katsuki before he came barging in.

Izuku was starting to see how motherly her friend was, though.

"Sorry, Uraraka," she said in a low voice, approaching her with a smile. "But I finally got Kacchan to talk to me again, so I gotta go before he literally explodes," she said with mirth in her voice, mimicking a small explosion with her free hand, which earned her a giggle from her friend.

"Fine, but be prepared to have an extra big bowl when you come back!" She warned.

Izuku nodded, hugged the brunette and left, quickly going back to where the said blond was.

When he saw her, a body sigh left his being. He uncrossed his arms and went to grab her hand again, and she let him. He pulled her out of the building with one move. His grip on her wrist was unwavering as if she would make a break for it.

"Ka-Kacchan!" she cried, gulping down the last piece of bread she had stuffed on her mouth on her way.

"Shut up, nerd." He growled without heat.

The blond boy pulled her through the doors, towards where the dragons, Eijiro, Mina and the tribesmen were.

"Eijichan! How are you?" She asked as she was dragged past them, not having any time to look for any kind of underlying injuries as she had for Denki.

"Oh! 'm fine, Kaminari's quirk just shocked me, literally!" He chuckled, handing Rohy one piece of meat he must have just killed as it still dripped fresh blood.

"Later, Shitty-hair." Katsuki shut the two most cheery people in his life before they could start babbling.

"Are you-" Mina started to ask but was cut off by a burst of laughter when Katsuki grabbed Izuku by the waist and threw her over Rohy's back, making the greenette squeak loudly.

Katsuki jumped in front of her, grabbed two scales for support, and without looking behind himself, he said, "grab onto something."

The girl barely had time to clutch to his cloak before the boy yelled for his dragon to take off.

"Kachaaaaan!" She yelled as the wind hit her and pushed her back, her feet dangling from the side already high over the trees.

She suddenly regretted wearing a dress.

For one terrifying moment, Izuku thought she was going to drop from the big reptilian's back and become just another green spot on the ground, never to achieve anything in her life and take One for All down with her.

Toshinori would be so disappointed with her.

"Damn, Deku!" Katsuki growled, his gruff voice bringing her back from the gloomy thought.

He just noticed she was hanging from his dragon's side, the fool.

With one hand, he grabbed her own hand and pulled her until she was flushed against his back, legs hugging Rohy's neck so she wouldn't be blown away again.

"Hold on!" he ordered as if she needed him to say it.

She nodded against the fur of the cloak, anyways, her arms grabbing onto him like he was a lifeline.

Izuku was used to flying, she did it since she was seven, she had her own dragon, for quirk's sake! But the thought of not being in control had left her paralyzed for a moment.

After the initial scare was over, however, they stayed in silence, as she slowly relaxed against him.

Izuku hadn't flown with Katsuki like this since they were little, and only when he had been teaching her how to do it.

She missed this.

Liked this even.

It made her feel safe.

She slowly pressed her freckled cheek against the fur of his coat and inhaled. He smelled sweet, but there was also a hint of burnt wood.

It smelt just like home for Izuku.

But she still wanted to punch him for the scare, though.

The blond moved under her arms and coughed.

Was he getting sick?

Her mouth opened to inquire, but before she could, Katsuki steered Rohy down into the rocks of the Northern coast.

Flapping his wings to slow down their descent, the dragon hit the ground, justling them just a bit.

The blond jumped from the dragon and held his arms up, gesturing with his hands that he meant to help her down.

Look, Izuku Midoriya wasn't really known for being petty, she usually went out of her way to please the people around her. But she scowled down at him anyway, even gave him a huff and jumped on the other side, totally ignoring the angry sound he made.

He had scared her, and she had nearly made a swan dive from who knew how high, he totally deserved the small act of cold shoulder.

"So, spill."

She glanced at him as he came from the other side, his heavy boots hitting the sand and making it fly around him.

She sighed, her shoulder hunching a bit, there was no way he would let her go now, not that she wanted to.

"Take off your boots." She said simply, following her own instructions.

His frown deepened. "Why should I do that?"

She levelled him with her pleading green eyes. "Would you just... humour me for a second."

He stared at her, then at her now bare right foot, but in the end, he did what he was told, grumbling all the time.

When they were both barefoot, she took his hand and guided him to where the waves were hitting the chore, letting the cold-water wash over their feet and let it permeate her with their resilience and strength.

She really admired how the waves hit and chipped at the rocks, slowly making their way inland.

She glanced at the black, pointy and deadly-looking stones and shuddered a bit.

How long would it take for them to be gone completely?

Izuku shook her head.

She was getting distracted.

As the moments passed, Izuku could feel the heat of Katsuki's eyes on her grow, trying to convey his intense curiosity without pushing her, not knowing if it would make her mad, or worse... cry.

He never knew how to deal with her geyser-like crying.

But she couldn't deny, she liked how patient he was being. If it had been a year ago, she was sure he would've already yelled until she spilt every single detail she ever dared to hide from him.

She let go of his hand. And as she counted the times the frosty waters washed over her toes, she told him everything.

From her mother's letter to the King, to when he asked her to take his place and quirk, to the way Toshinori would smile at the mention of her mother's name.

She told him how scared she was at the prospect of becoming the next Queen, be it for Yuuei or Mitra.

How betrayed she felt every time she used One for All, and it ended with shattered bones, ripped muscles and torn flesh.

And she confessed how terrified she felt about fighting her father, and the nightmare she had because of it.

She didn't hold anything back.

When she finished, her cheeks were as wet as her feet under the waves.

Her eyes gazed at the sun as it was setting in the horizon, making the water shine and the sky turn into a million colours.

This kind of scenery wasn't meant to be used for such horrible mental images.

For the first time since she started to talk, she looked up at Katsuki.

He had been quiet for all this time, which was a first.

That boy loved to give his opinion.

Very loudly.

But now, he was staring at the ocean, his crimson eyes following the glinting of the sun against it.

She could see his mind was far away, working to process it all.

She hadn't processed it all herself, she had just… rolled with it.

Maybe that was why she was having nightmares.

But she didn't care, her dream was at arm's length, after all.

At that moment Katsuki kicked the incoming wave, splattering the water all over them.

His hands were put into tight fists, his shoulders tense under his cape, and even though he had turned away from her, she knew he was glaring angrily at the white sand before him.

"I can't fucking believe it!" He yelled, his fists holding into small explosions.

After his outburst, silence fell over them, the only thing left was the sound of the waves crashing against the threatening-looking stones and the POP-POPs of his explosions.

Izuku, in a moment of surprise, took one step back.

What did she say that left him like this?

Did she make it worse?

She opened her mouth to try and to ask him, but he turned around so quickly that any words she started to formulate died on her throat.

"I can not fucking believe it!" He said again, this time, his voice sounded more desperate than anything.

Izuku took one step towards him, her hands raised as if there was a feral animal in front of her, not one of her oldest friends.

"What can't you believe, Kacchan?" She asked, taking careful steps towards him.

The teenage boy gripped at his hair, his eyes searching her face for something she didn't know.

When it seemed that he didn't find what he was looking for, he huffed hard, letting go of his locks.

"Why did you do this?" He asked, his eyes accusatory, but far away, as if he wasn't seeing her.

Izuku frowned and stopped on her path.

Anger and sorrow boiled on her veins, both emotions twisting in her gut and leaving a sour taste on her mouth.

Why was he being so mean?

"Why? Kacchan, you know that I've always dreamt of travelling the world to save people. The King gave me an opportunity, and I took it." She shook her head, her eyes pooling in tears again. "Why are you so mad? Is it because I can finally protect myself? Or that I can finally stand up for those I care about?"

As if her words hit him like a fully grown ogre, Katsuki staggered, and his eyes flew wide open.

"I-" He huffed. With his hands on his face, he kicked the sand and fell on his ass with a huff. "I don't know why I'm so mad!" he yelled, his words somewhat muffled.

Izuku's powerful emotions puttered down, drowned under her worry, and she simply collapsed on her knees in front of him.

The atmosphere around them seemed to still, red ruby eyes locking with green emerald ones, searching the answers to their problems on those colourful pools.

To say Izuku was worried was an understatement as big as the island she was on. And what she perceived in his eyes wasn't helping to calm her down. She could see the conflicting feelings he commonly wouldn't let anyone notice.

The doubt.

The fear.

The vulnerability.

She didn't know where those were coming from, and surely didn't get what was going through his head, but she hoped that he would open up and tell her already.

But time ticked by. The sun disappeared entirely on the horizon, and the stars and the moon were eventually able to gleam over their heads.

And they just stared.

Her worry sipped from her eyes into the air around them, making the atmosphere so dense they might be able to cut it with a knife.

"We should go," Katsuki said, getting up unceremoniously, stuffing one of his hands in his pocket and reaching out with the other to help her up.

"Come on, nerd," he said, looking at the sand.

Izuku kept staring at him. "You aren't telling me something, Kacchan."

The blond frowned and looked away entirely, his cheeks darkening in what she could only guess was frustration. "It's nothing you should worry your little nerd head about, you have enough shit to mull over as it is with all the damned Queen thing."

Izuku took his hand, and he pulled her up to her feet. He tried to let go, but she held on and got up on his personal space. "Is this about your plans? The one Auntie has been 'pestering you about'?" she quoted with her free fingers.

Katsuki's eyes flared with rage, his loose hold on her hand was getting sweatier as his quirk got out of control.

"Who was the motherfucker who told you about that?" He yelled, his tone didn't sound angry, however.

It was an emotion Izuku had been sure Katsuki Bakugo couldn't feel.

Embarrassment.

"Um..." Izuku scratched her cheek.

"No need, I bet it was Shitty-Hair."

She cocked her head to the side and shrugged, they both knew how bad Eijiro was at keeping secrets.

But she couldn't stop wondering what would happen to poor Eijiro when Katsuki found him.

And by his reaction to her knowing about it, this plan must be extraordinarily relevant.

She glanced away from him.

What could possibly be so important that he couldn't tell her?

They told each other everything!

She just told him her greatest secret!

Katsuki had been so mad when she held back about One for All, but apparently, he was holding back too.

"Oi, don't start sulking." He playfully hit her on the shoulder to make her look up at the familiar smirk, which only looked a bit fake. "It's just- something the old hag has been pushing me to do before, as she said 'lose it'." He rolled his eyes and tugged her towards Rohy. "But have you any idea on how to use that One for All quirk without busting your arm?"

Sweat rolled down her cheek. "I thought, if I could use the power in one small part of my body, it wouldn't break, but you saw how my finger ended up earlier."

He clicked his tongue. "That's stupid. I bet your problem is the output, not the area you use it."

They reached Rohy by then, and Izuku was pondering about what he said.

She looked down at her hands and how bad the pain had felt.

"It's not a bad idea."

Katsuki scoffed, stuffing his foot inside his boot. "Of course it is, it's my idea!"

She smiled, following him to put her own boots.

"What's that face for?" He growled without heat again, nodding at her, trying hard to hide his smirk.

She laced her last boot and said, "I missed talking to you like this."

The blond's grin slipped from his face. "Yeah..."

They fell in awkward silence, which was becoming more and more frequent since they met again, and Izuku nearly entered a mumbling section until Rohy, poor him, knocked Katsuki with his snot, making the boy tumble and fall backwards.

Izuku broke into laughter at Katsuki's overdramatic cursing.

"Petty, oversized lizard," he grumbled, jumping on Rohy's neck with more force than necessary.

She snickered some more before mounting in front of him.

"Oi, my dragon. You go in the back, Deku." He shoved his face over her shoulder and pointed behind him to make a point.

The greenette glanced at him, and said with big eyes, "Oh, please Kacchan! I nearly fell over earlier."

What was going on with her?!

She wasn't this bratty!

But she did love when he made that face.

He had his usual frown on, but his crimson eyes were squinting at her. His pink lips puckered in a pout and his nose following the motion of his flawless skin.

Katsuki continued glaring at her, his cheeks pink from anger. "Behind me, Deku, or I swear I will throw you over myself."

She did as she was told, not wanting to test his temper any longer.

Now both of them on their places, Rohy took off.

"Oi, what I said the day we met still stands," Katsuki called over the whistling winding.

Izuku placed her chin on his shoulder. "What about?"

"Your father." He looked at her, his eyes serious. "I won't let you face him alone."

She tried saying something, but she was too happy to say anything, so she just held him a little harder.

When they reached their building again, they started hearing voices from all the way over the treetops.

The red dragon landed on the grass, and the teenagers dismounted, sharing confused looks.

It was late, the dark sky only illuminated by the faint moonlight and the faraway stars, who could possibly be awake?

Apparently, everyone could.

Some were sitting by the fireplace, gossiping and giggling. Others were stuffing their faces on the kitchen, while the rest were playing games on the floor. Who brought cards?

And at the sound of the wooden door opening and closing, everyone's action had come to a stop, nineteen pairs of eyes peering at them.

"What the hell are yall doing here?" Katsuki asked, very much annoyed.

At his question, Eijiro's head popped out fully from behind the kitchen counter.

His face was dirty as if he had been scarfing what appeared to be rice without his hands.

"Hey, Bakubro! Izuchan! How 're you guys?"

"We are fine Shitty-Hair!" Katsuki scoffed, his cheeks still slightly pink, Izuku really had to ask him if he was okay, they couldn't have him getting sick. "Oh!" And suddenly his expression turned from mildly irritated to furious. "We have to talk."

The young King stomped his way across the room, purposefully making his stomps louder, and before Eijiro could skedaddle, Katsuki grabbed him by the ear and pulled him away.

When the red-haired's apologetic cries died down, everyone's attention fell back on Izuku, who now felt very uncomfortable at the unwanted attention.

"Well, Izuchan, come eat something!" Ochaco saved her, as her voice shattered the inquisitive aura the rest was throwing Izuku's way.

She made her way to where the girls were by the fire as Ochaco went to grab her something to eat.

"There's no need, Ochachan-!"

"None of that, Midoriya-chan." Momo shook her head from the floor where she was sitting.

She looked like royalty even by sitting on the stone ground with pyjamas.

"Do you think we didn't see that you only ate a piece of bread when you ran away with Bakugo?" Tsuyu said, her big eyes studying Izuku.

Her green orbs looked anywhere but at those knowing eyes. It was as if the frog girl could read her soul!

"Heh, yeah..."

"And I did tell you were going to eat extra when you came back, silly. But it doesn't matter now, as Izuchan is going to eat everything!" The brunette came jumping back.

She was holding in her hands a big bowl of rice, meat and vegetables that smelled amazing. It was all artfully put together, and it made Izuku rethink her intention of eating it.

"Wow, this looks great!" the greenette praised.

"Good, 'cause you better eat it all. It was a nightmare to keep some for you and Bakugo with those hungry animals we call boys." Ochaco gave her the bowl and chopsticks.

Izuku was sure that if she didn't do as she was told, Ochaco would force-feed her, so she just nodded and sat by the others.

"Oh, Midoriya-chan," Momo called, "The King came here earlier and asked us to give you that."

She pointed at a letter stationed on the top of the fireplace.

Kyoka reached over, grabbed the paper and gave it to her before Izuku could even say anything.

She set the food down beside her, and slowly opened the letter.

It wasn't much.

It said she was to meet up with him at his study early the next day so they could discuss her quirk. She would have to ask around the main castle so she could find it, but what would he want to talk to her about?

She folded it back down and was lost on her own mind.

Was he putting her in an intense regiment to compensate for her lack of ability with his quirk?

Or did he decide she wasn't worthy of his power and would ask for her to give it back?

Or did he find someone better?

Maybe, he didn't want her to tell Katsuki about One for All, but as she already did, he wanted her to give it to someone else who he could trust with his secret!

Dread dropped inside her mind like a fully developed dragon.

"Um... Izuchan?" Mina's concerned voice reached inside the hurricane that was her brain and made it all come to a screeching halt. "What does the letter say?"

Izuku finally caught up to everyone looking at her.

And it dawned on her.

So that's why everyone was here so late.

They hadn't opened the letter in respect for her privacy but were too curious to let it go.

She looked around and chuckled.

"The King asked me to meet him, we have some matters to discuss," she said simply.

"And what are those matters?" the purple-haired guy asked, Hitoshi Shinso, she believed his name was.

She looked straight into his eyes, there was something about him that she couldn't put her finger on, but she answered anyway, "About my quirk."

At the mention of the limbs destroying ability, everyone in the room seemed to wince in imagined pain. Some even cradled their arms.

"That does make sense as we are all striving to become heroes, and having one of us who has to deal with such dangers would go against the principals of the training." The bird-headed boy, Fumikage Tokoyami, nodded and settled the matter.

Izuku sighed in relief and grabbed her food back. She really didn't want the others to start asking questions about her quirk.

The rest of the night, they all talked and joked around. The girls mainly laughed at the boys' antics and threw disapproving looks at Minoru every time he came too close.

But it was all fun and games.

She finished her whole meal, and Ochaco gave her a sparkling smile full of motherly pride, and when they were all falling asleep where they sat, they parted ways.

When Izuku reached her room later, her mind supplied her something that wouldn't let her sleep that well.

Even though Katsuki had been like his old self again, he ran off with Eijiro and hadn't told her about what his mom wanted him to do.

He had kept a secret from her.

Izuku sincerely thought that whoever built the castle wanted people to get lost.

Of course, it was a great strategy if it was invaded, even though it seemed kind of impossible with as many heroes as the whole city had. But now that she was trying to find where Toshinori's office was, she was thoroughly lost.

A knight had told her the way when she arrived at the door as the King had asked of her, but no matter how many times she reran his instructions, retraced her steps or tried to find someone to ask for directions, she was all alone and simply couldn't know if she had or hadn't taken the seventh turn to her right.

She supposed that her mind hadn't really been on it, as every time she entered another endless corridor, her brain flashed to red ruby eyes and untold stories.

And limitless possibilities.

Izuku had tossed and turned on her bed when she realized how sneaky Katsuki had been. He first dodged her question with a smirk (curse it!) and his own question, then ran away with Eijiro.

Her first thought had been that he didn't trust her enough to tell her, then in an attempt to rationalize, she had thought that maybe Auntie told him not to say anything, or it's not his secret, but Mina did say that it was something he had to do, so it could need to be kept a secret so it could work? And if it was, she could offer him her help?

"Young Izuku, what are you doing?"

The greenette jumped so high that she nearly hit her head on the chandelier above.

Toshinori Yagi stood on his bony glory in the middle of the corridor she had been standing, hunched, finger on her chin, mumbling out loud.

How awkward.

If he hadn't intended on taking One for All from her before, he wanted now.

"Yo-your Majesty! Hi, I-uhm, got lost," she tried to explain.

His eyebrows reappeared from his hairline and with suppressed laughter signalled for her to follow him, and she did.

Like the rest of the castle, the King's office stonewalls were filled with paintings, the floor covered in colourful carpets. Right in the centre of the room a beautiful wooden desk was covered in stacks of paper.

And between the giant doors and the desk lay two couches that looked so comfortable she was a bit afraid of sitting on them and falling asleep.

"Sit over here." The King gestured to the black leathered chair in front of his desk as he took the one behind it.

Izuku did as she was asked, her eyes jumping around the scrolls and letters with curiosity.

"So, did you talk to young Bakugo about One for All?" the King asked, his blue eyes kind and interested.

Izuku's fingers interlocked painfully. "Yes."

"You don't seem happy about it," he noticed, then his eyes grew so large she thought they were going to fly from his skull. "Did he threaten you?"

She shook her head immediately, releasing her green locks from her braid. "No! He was mad at first, but then he asked me more about it... and said he was still going to help me with my father, and he gave me advice about how I could control it."

He frowned. "That's great… But, why are you anxious then? I thought that telling him would help."

To her left, there was a large veranda with a view of the city, and right about now she wished she was there, seeing the people just go about their lives, not worrying about why the angry blond kept his secret and how he could flip her emotions so effortlessly.

"It's nothing really, I'm just... overthinking as usual," she said.

She didn't want to make him worry more, and she was sure she could get this sorted out on her own. It would take her time, but she would do it.

And she might have already thought up a way to get to the bottom of this story.

She was going to talk to a certain red-head.

"But why did you ask for me?" Izuku asked, turning her head towards him and putting all the secret related thoughts in a box for later.

"Oh, yes!" He moved his papers around, looking for something.

When half of them were on the floor, he pulled one right from the corner of his desk with a big triumphant smile.

"Found it!"

"What is it about?"

She got up from her chair and started picking up the discarded scrolls, waiting for her mentor's words.

"You see, every time a King or Queen wants to step down, they call for a tournament, and I called for one last week, and I just got the confirmation!"

As she went to grab a scroll that looked like an order for construction materials, her brain understood what Toshinori was saying. And as if his words had been a bucket of ice-cold water, Izuku went rigid. "What?"

"I know what you are thinking." He pointed an accusing finger at her. "But this doesn't define who becomes the successor, and you don't have to worry about winning right now, this will serve you to see who your competition is."

"H-how does this work then if not to choose a successor?" She sat back on her chair, white as the papers on her hand.

"It is a three years thing that anyone can participate, and it's only meant to show the people of the city who might be their leader one day. And in the last year, I am the one who chooses if it's the last winner or not. It's only a formality." He waved his hand at her as if all her, very reasonable, worries weren't more than a misly fly.

"B-but I am not ready! And what if the people don't like me? And what if I make a fool of myself? And there are so many people stronger and more experienced than I am! And how are my-"

"Izuku!" He called for her as she entered into a mumble section. "You don't have a reason to worry. First of all, one of the rules of the tournament is that the only ones who can participate are the ones in the ongoing training so we can make sure there won't be any kind of power-play or corruption. Second, I am going to train you so you can get a better grasp of One for All. And I was thinking to have you patrol the city, maybe help around, so people know you. By the third year, you will be loved by everyone, and have great control of the quirk."

The teenager breathed in slowly, trying to rein in her fear. What he had in mind she could do, help people, walk around, it would be fine, she told herself. She had three years to master her dangerous quirk, but she could do it.

"W-when is the to-tournament?"

"In about two months give or take. Nezu, the one who takes care of all the training and administrative part of the course is the one who oversees it, Aizawa should give your group more details in this upcoming week."

Izuku wanted to start training now, she was so far behind, and maybe this would help her with the overthinking thing.

"Is there anything else you wanted to discuss?" she asked, already getting up.

"Actually, yes, I do. Aizawa has prepared a training exercise for you and your group in the Drop, after lunch. It will be myself, him and another hero overseeing it, so tell your friends to be ready."

"Another hero?" Izuku's eyes shone with the prospect of seeing another hero and totally ignoring the fact that he just said 'the Drop'.

"Yes, she is great, she specializes in Rescue, so that's why she is the one leading the class tomorrow."

Rescue, just the thought made Izuku giddy. That is one of the reasons she had always wanted to be out here in the world!

"I see that you like the news!" he teased.

"I've dreamt of this for so long!" she said, her lips turned into a bright smile and her arms raised in excitement, her earlier fear extinguished. "I grew up listening to the story of how you saved my mother! Even though I didn't know that it was my own mother!" She chuckled. "But I always wanted to be just like that!"

"And you will be way better."

His words made her happier than anything. It sounded like a promise. As if he knew the future and now was seeing it unfold just like he'd seen.

"Well..." she said, her cheeks so red she looked like a tomato. "I should get going."

Izuku left, his Majesty's laughter accompanying her as she walked down the corridor.

* * *

**Oh and guys, I really hope you are all safe, and if you can, you are helping the people around you. **

**Be it by staying at home in quarantine, in the hospital, in the BlackLivesMatter protests or whatever is important to you and our community as a whole.**  
**Do know that I support you guys with all my heart, and sincerely hope we can get pass these troubled times and get to the other side stronger and more united.**  
**Have a good day everyone and Happy Pride Month!**


	7. Down The River

**Hey, lovelies!**

**Hope you are all okay.**

**This chapter ended up differently than what I thought it would, but I wish you guys like it!**

* * *

Group A was an excited bunch.

Early in the morning, if you passed by their building, you could hear the laughter, yells and eventual explosions coming from the teenagers.

Izuku, however, had grown up as an only child and friendless, so it was to be expected that she wasn't used to that much enthusiasm in a daily setting.

So Monday morning the greenette was found, just like any other day of the week – the others started to notice – laying on Indry's side, leather-bound journal in her hands, eyes trained on the sky.

She had started writing down everything she knew about One for All about an hour before the rest of the teenagers joined her in the common area, trying to come up with an idea about how to control it.

Katsuki had said that it had to be the output, and she agreed, and from her own experience, she was sure she couldn't handle much.

She was so far behind she couldn't even see the light at the end of the cave.

But as time had passed, her mind strayed to the ache in her chest.

Was that how Katsuki had felt when he had thought she was keeping a secret from him? Or had he been just angry? And if he had felt the same ache, why was he doing this to her?

Izuku's mind had created horrible scenarios for all the secrecy, all the avoiding, but only one solution.

She had to talk to Eijiro and get him to spill everything he knew.

She glanced inside and saw the problem with this plan.

Katsuki must have yelled at him for opening his mouth before, so now Eijiro wouldn't leave his side, and every time Izuku had tried to talk to the red-head alone, the blond had yelled at his friend, who simply ran away.

And each time Izuku felt worse.

There was the choice of speaking to Mina, but the pink-skinned girl was way better at keeping things to herself.

Izuku had tried asking her about it, but she had just let a long and frustrating breath leave her, then proceeded to tell her: "I told him, that idiotic King, to just tell you, but he's way too stubborn to do that." She had stared straight into Izuku's eyes and said, "but I can't tell you Izuchan, straight orders from the Queen."

Izuku had half a mind to pressure Katsuki until he told her, but then again, that was how she had gotten herself in this situation, to begin with.

Damn Katsuki Bakugo and his amazing avoiding skills!

"Midoriya," Tenya called from the entrance, startling her from her thoughts, "a letter has just been delivered. It instructs us to head for the Drop, just as the King told you yesterday, and I do believe-"

Loud sounds blared around them, shutting the speckled boy up.

It was an odd mixture of yells and howls and a weird wooing sound that made her ears want to shut down and never hear anything again.

Izuku jumped out of Indry's back. The female dragon, Rycun, Rohy, Atro – Mashirao's earth dragon – and Zatsra – Hanta's sand dragon – already had their heads raised high, fumbling around in multicoloured mayhem, all senses on high alert as both teenagers ran inside.

The others that littered the room looked up, trying unsuccessfully to find a source to the atrocious sound.

Izuku and Tenya rushed to the opposite side of the room, the rest of them following.

"What is going on?" Ochaco asked as the door was pulled open hastily, the twenty-one of them poured out to see people coming out of their own buildings, some of them, as confused as they were.

A group of older teenagers went past them, eyeing all around for any kind of threat. They had their hands raised or different types of powers flowing through them, giving them a scary allure.

"Hey! What is happening? What is that sound for?" Izuku yelled out her questions, thankful for not being drowned by the noise.

"That is the alarm for intruders!" A boy yelled back as the sound died down. "And that means that anything that it was has already been dealt with." He opened his arms as his colleagues begrudgingly walked back from whatever building they came from. "Welcome to Yuuei, newbies!"

Someone scoffed behind her at the words.

Before she even looked behind her, she knew who it was, but she indulged her need to see him anyway. She glanced back and saw Katsuki frowning at the boy's back.

"Who does that Extra think he is?" he growled, earning himself Eijiro's low chuckle.

When red met green, a flash of surprise and something else passed through his eyes before he smirked her way.

"As we are all outside, let us head to our destination. Heroes must always be on time!" Tenya called everyone to attention, already heading down as Izuku and Katsuki stared into each other's eyes.

_'Now was as good a time as any,'_ Izuku thought, but as she took a step towards him, but he turned his face away and followed everyone down the stairs to wherever Aizawa had told them to go.

If Katsuki wasn't even going to acknowledge the fact that he was keeping a secret from her, this situation was going to be harder than she expected.

And she already thought it would be excruciatingly hard.

Izuku followed her companions through the beaten path. They headed west towards the woods, passed through the castle grounds, nodding at the heroes that crossed them with broad smiles.

She was fascinated with the sheer amount of heroes that roamed the place, but she was totally shocked at how little their clothes left to the imagination.

Since she arrived at Yuuei, nearly two weeks ago, she had seen one woman with so little clothes that Izuku suspected that if the woman could, she would walk around naked.

Tenya led them through the paths outside the main castle, the trees making an arch over their heads as they continued on their way, entering the forest.

Izuku was becoming acquainted with those woods. These past few days while Aizawa planned for their exercises she had spent most of her days here, training her body in a way she had never done before, with the instructions of the King.

He had told her the day after she broke her arm with One for All for the first time that maybe practising without it would help.

So, just like she had done the first time he had said it, Izuku was going to use her Katsuki-related doubts to fuel her from before the sun rose, to after it was dipping back into the horizon until the quirk she was gifted became her own.

But as that was settled, another thought sneaked into her mind, making Izuku look around at the trees.

She had grown up running through the woods. But here… they weren't her woods.

Anyone who didn't have a connection to a place like Izuku had with the forest that surrounded Olind, wouldn't understand. Probably they would just dismiss it, even call Izuku sentimental, which she was, but that place was where she grew up, it was her playground, her hiding place.

And only someone like Izuku would be able to see the difference.

So... she saw them.

The trees were so tall that if she tried to find where they ended, she would only see them stretch on and on until her curious eyes met the infinity of the sky.

And she could climb them, as she had discovered when she fought Katsuki, but the branches were thin and crackly, the leaves weren't the beautiful heart-shaped ones that covered the ground when the fall reached her home.

And to worsen the nostalgia that the young woman's heart was swimming in, it all made her remember that she was a world apart from her mother.

While she made her trip to Yuuei, Izuku had kept on telling herself that she had to do what her mother asked of her.

But now that she was here, she admonishes herself for not persuading her mother into coming with her.

She wasn't worried about her mother's safety per-say… Olind was far away and apparently any move her father and his troops made was known in Yuuei.

But she would feel safer if she was here with her.

And Izuku could use some motherly advice.

Inko was the daughter of a King, his only heir to be exact, she must have been given all the knowledge she might one day need to become a Queen.

Izuku didn't have any of that.

The only comfort that she found in the situation was the fact that her mother wasn't worried about Izuku getting her bones broken every day.

"Are you okay, Izuchan?" Ochaco came up beside her, four of her padded fingers holding her wrist, her delicate features twisted into a frown.

All her friends were going to get lines of worry because of her.

_'Or lose their lives,'_ her mind supplied, darkly and unhelpfully.

Izuku opened her mouth to dismiss her friend's worries, but Ochaco cut her off. "Don't say it's nothing, please, it's obvious that something has been eating at you recently, and the girls and I noticed the way you've been looking at Bakugo-kun ever since you've talked, didn't you guys resolve your problems? Do you want me to kick his butt for you?"

Izuku giggled at the prospect of sweet Ochaco fighting Katsuki but then frowned at the mention of her problems, to finally catch on to the 'girls' part. In the plural.

She peered behind her to see all the other girls sending her concern-filled glances.

It seems that the number of people Izuku is going to feel guilty about is increasing by the day.

Izuku sighs and looks back to the front of the line. It doesn't seem that they are that close to where they need to be.

The green-haired girl thought about lying, but the attention she felt coming from them was making her heart feel like someone was twisting a very sharp knife on it.

She looked back towards Ochaco and said just above a whisper, "I was just thinking about my mom, and how I should have brought her with me." She glanced at the tall trees around her, which she didn't even know the names of. "She would have the perfect advice to give me right about now."

"About Bakugo?"

Izuku shook her head and opened her arms as if to motion to everything and anything around her. "About everything. Kacchan, my new quirk, my father."

Ochaco sighed and looked around. "You know you can talk to us, any of us. After you left with Bakugo, King Yagi came looking for you. As you weren't there, he left the letter, but some of us asked why he wanted to see you, and he told us a little more about your father-"

"He did?!" Izuku whispered-yelled, her green eyes darted around as if she was going to find scared looks or suspicion filled eyes.

She didn't find any.

But why didn't he warn her about it?!

Her friend nodded. "Some were quiet. Mineta voiced his concern very loudly. But most said they would help you if you asked. We are here with different goals, but we all want to be heroes, after all. Plus… You inspired them, Izuchan!" She cheered, then said in a more serious tone, "and I know that we don't know all the details to accurately tell you what you should do, and no one should, but you have to understand you are not alone. You seem like the type to tell us a bit about what is happening but not expect us to help."

Izuku's eyes pooled with tears. She jumped at the taller girl, hugging her tightly. "Thank you, Ochachan, I needed that."

Ochaco was right, she was a stubborn kind of girl that cherished her relationships too much, meaning she hated to involve them in her fights.

The brunette only chuckled as they heard Tenya's loud voice from the front of the group saying they had arrived.

All twenty-one of them stood by the twenty meters drop of the cliff where Aizawa and a fully covered knight, who Izuku supposed was Thirteen, waited for them.

"Took you long enough," the tired-looking man complained, "you should have been here five minutes ago."

"My apologies, Aizawa Sensei, but as we left Heights Alliance, there was what one of our upperclassmen informed us to be an alarm about intrusions," Tenya informed, his arms making straight lines up and down.

Their teachers halted.

"Again?" Thirteen whispered, looking over at Aizawa who just rose his hand and shook his head.

_'What do they mean by 'again'?'_ Izuku's mind asked, but as she looked around, she saw the lack of someone she had been expecting.

"Wasn't his Majesty supposed to come with us today?" she asked, not seeing the bulky form of the King anywhere.

Aizawa and the knight shared a long look, then he gave his back to them and whispered something to which the knight shook her head and raised three fingers.

Aizawa let out a long sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Who was crazy enough to make that man into a King, again?" He asked loud enough for them to hear.

Even if his statement wasn't supposed to be caught, and was just the words of a tired man, Izuku wondered about Toshinori's predecessor.

Had they been as cheery and beloved as he was? Had they ever felt insecure about their position like her?

"He isn't coming," Aizawa said simply after a good pinch to the bridge of his nose. "So we should start now."

With that, he walked to the side, as if giving the stage to the knight beside him.

"Good morning, young ones," the woman said, bowing. "My codename is Thirteen, and it's a pleasure to have you all here in the Drop, that I personally call the 'Unforeseen Simulation Joint', USJ for short. Here we will have rescue training." She straightened herself and pointed behind her.

The teenagers accompanied her to the edge. Far down, they could see wild rapids snaking down the rocky floor, breaking anything in their path.

On the opposite side, on the other cliff, humongous rocks were precariously stacked one over the other. Izuku was seriously surprised that even with the light wind, they haven't toppled yet.

Further west, there were constructions raised one beside the other with Yuuei's symbol, a shimmering star, painted on them.

"In this canyon area, I built different types of scenarios you could encounter in a rescue." She turned towards them. "But before I explain what we will do today, I have some points I'd like to clarify."

Even though none of them could actually see the woman's face, they all came to one conclusion, she was dead serious about this.

"In Eraser's quirk apprehension test you guys saw what you could do with your quirks, saw your potentials and limits. With his Majesty, you learnt that some of your powers can be dangerous, they can hurt you and others if you don't learn how to control them. With me, you will discover how you can use it to save, no matter how attack-based it is, there's always a way to save someone if you just put your mind to it. For example, my quirk is called Black Hole, it pulls at everything and turns it into dust in a matter of seconds, but I turned it into a way to help others, you can all do that too."

Thirteen's words made hope burst inside Izuku's heart. If the knight could transform her destructive power into a force of good, so could Izuku.

"Now we-" Aizawa started, but that's when it happened.

To where the river rushed into the ocean, a black mass formed. It was too far away for them to actually see much of it, but without any doubt, humanoid forms started to walk from inside.

"What is that?" Eijiro asked, squinting his eyes and walking forward.

"Stay back!" Aizawa shouted his goggles already over his eyes. "Those are villains, Thirteen take them back to the castle, I will take care of them."

Without another minute to spare, their teacher ran towards where the intruders were spewing from.

Fear nestled into their hearts, clawing mercilessly.

"You heard the man, let's go!"

Slowly the teenagers walked away, their eyes following their teacher's form as he jumped around, taking one villain after the other.

One at a time, the teenagers looked away, trusting Aizawa to take care of the unbelievable amount of villains that were flooding the surroundings.

Izuku was the only one left, following the group but still watching as her teacher fought the invaders.

There were too many, Aizawa might be good at what he did, as she could see by the number of people on the floor already, but more continued to pour out of the portal.

"Deku!" Katsuki grabbed her hand and turned her around. "Stop fucking staring!" he yelled and started dragging her away faster.

But as Izuku finally looked away from the battle, the mist that brought the villains inside their premises in the first place, surrounded them.

They froze.

Katsuki's hand tightened around hers.

"Greetings, young ones, we apologize sincerely for this intrusion. However, we were under the impression that the King would be present in your group's training, were we mistaken?" The mist asked in a wary voice that chilled Izuku to the core.

"What do you want with the King that led you to attack this part of the woods?" Thirteen asked, her hands sprawled to the sides, trying to shelter her students from harm.

"Oh, we want to kill the King, the Symbol of Peace."

Izuku's, and all the others' hearts dropped.

_'They… want to kill the King? Why? What has he done that makes them want to take his life?'_ Izuku's mind started working a mile a minute, trying and failing to find a reason why these people would want to get rid of such a kind and selfless man.

Too deep in her head, she didn't hear what Thirteen replied, didn't notice as she redirected her hand, only to be taken out of her trance by a vice-like grip shaking her.

"Deku!" Katsuki whispered-yelled, his angry face right above hers. "I'm gonna attack that motherfucker, you will get the hell out of here, do you hear? When I finish with the sucker, I don't want to see you anywhere near here," he said, his ruby red eyes glaring under his frown.

She didn't want to run.

Couldn't.

If these guys had gone to such lengths to come here because they thought they could kill Toshinori, they wouldn't relent until the goal was achieved.

But she knew Katsuki would throw her away with an explosion if she didn't say she would.

So she nodded.

Then, as if in synchrony, Katsuki and Eijiro jumped from the crowd into the mist to attack.

"Who the fuck you are to think you can come here and attack us, you son of a bitch?" Katsuki yelled, his hand ready to explode the guy away to sunrise.

"Yeah! We won't let ya!" Eijiro followed his King, his arm harder than she remembered he could.

"Get out of there! It's dangerous!" Thirteen yelled.

The knight had her finger raised as if to use her quirk, but now couldn't without the risk of taking down the two boys.

But as the last word left through her mask, their quirks activated, attacking the purple mist.

A thick smoke surrounded them, but Izuku, who was still locked on the same spot Katsuki had left her at, saw as the villain moved, unscathed.

"That was close, I have to admit, nothing less than one expected of the infamous heroes of Yuuei, even at such a young age. But you will have to excuse me as I have a mission to accomplish, so, please, die."

With those last words, the mist that had been closing the path, let other villains spill out at the same time as he stretched itself to cover them, trapping them in with the attackers.

Izuku, at the edge of the group, saw as the others were engulfed by the maleficent-looking fog around them.

Denki, Mezo and Kyoka were the first ones to disappear. Then one after the other, they simply were taken to who knew where.

At one point during the chaos, Tenya had grabbed the closest to him and took off, away from the mist, but Izuku wasn't so lucky.

She was enveloped by one of the tendrils and slowly hauled away.

But before she was covered in mist, her emerald eyes connected with ruby ones. The shock, rage, dread and pure terror that pooled on Katsuki's eyes were directed at her as both of them were teleported away, leaving a sour taste on her mouth to the point where she simply wanted to rinse it clean.

She thought too soon because now Izuku was free-falling towards the sea, no way to stop her descent.

Before she could think, her body hit the cold and salty water, all air leaving her as she sank at the sheer force of the fall.

She didn't know where up or down was and her lungs burnt from lack of oxygen.

The panic that had lodged itself on her heart festered.

She opened her eyes, the salty water making them sting horribly, so she closed them right after over the dark depths.

She tried to swim, kicking and flailing to no avail, the lack of air getting to her.

Even though it couldn't have been more than a couple of seconds, her mind started going fuzzy, her limbs going limp.

She was going to die like this, bringing with her every chance to ever take her father down.

One for All would be wasted.

Until something curled itself around her torso and pulled at her.

She broke through the surface.

Air!

She drank greedily at the sweet and godly air, her eyes and mind and lungs slowly getting used to the magnificent, water-free surroundings she was in.

And to think just two nights ago she had been to the east of this same shore, letting these same waters flow through her toes.

Now she would like to be very far away from it, thank you very much.

The thing that had pulled her from the water set her down on a wooden floor. And now that her eyes were able to open again, she stopped to see what it was as it let go of her quickly to dart somewhere else.

Wait... what the hell? Was that a tongue?

Then Izuku remembered.

How could she have forgotten in the first place?!

The villains!

She quickly got away from the boat's edge, shutting the part of her brain that curiously wanted to look around.

Izuku rose her arm, ready to activate One for All to defend herself against whoever could be beyond it.

A hand appeared at the small space between the floor and the balustrade, then another, to finally showing Tsuyu's head peeking over the edge.

"Oh my-! Asui-san!" Isuku threw herself to her wobbly feet to help her up.

"I told you, call me Tsu," the other girl said, accepting the offered help.

Izuku pulled her over, and as she stepped beside her, Izuku saw who she had at the end of her tongue.

Momo!

Tsuyu raised the girl's shivering body over the edge and carefully set her beside them.

"Co-cold," she stuttered, curling in on herself.

"I saw both of you fall, but you were the closest to me." She shook her head, worry on her big eyes.

Izuku quickly looked around, grateful to find what she wanted. She ran to the front of the ship, took the heavy cloth that covered some barrels, this would be perfect.

When she came back, she grabbed Momo's shoulder's and guided her until she was against her, covering the girl on the cloth to protect her from the wind and maybe get her dry. "Thank you, As- I mean, Tsu." Izuku put her hand on Momo's back, rubbing her palm there to generate heat. "And Yaoyourozu-san is going to be fine, she's just cold."

Both girls' eyes had seen what the black-haired girl was wearing, which was very little.

Everything that covered her was a two-piece armour, one over her breast and shoulders, one on her hips with soaked flowy red silk. Plus her red stockings and to end the scarce clothing, her metal boots and gloves.

No wonder Momo was freezing.

Both Izuku and Tsuyu were wearing thick leggings and heavy boots, and while the first wore a baggy white shirt and a green vest and the latter a tight green shirt that seemed dry, the amount of protection they had helped a lot.

"We have to get out of here," Tsuyu said, glancing down at the water. "There is a group of villains in the water, but they are just watching us."

Momo slowly sat straighter, grabbing at the fabric, like it was a cloak.

Izuku taking this as an 'I'm fine' got up and stood by Tsuyu.

Just like the frog girl had said, the people who invaded their grounds were in a circle around them, just staring up at the girls, snickering.

"But how did they know we would be here? And that his Majesty was supposed to join us?" Tsuyu asked, a finger on her chin.

"They must have been planning this, and when they entered this morning." They shared a look. "They must have taken the opportunity," Isuku guessed.

"So," Momo said, getting up. "You are saying that they made all of this in one day?"

Izuku looked up at the edge of the cliff where she could see Aizawa fighting the villains. There were a considerate number of them already on the floor.

She remembered what Thirteen had said when Tenya told them about the alarm.

"When we told the teacher about the infiltration earlier, Thirteen whispered 'again', as if this wasn't the first time it happened, so I think they knew about today already," Izuku stated.

"So why would they do it again?" Tsuyu asked.

"Because they didn't, and still don't know what we can do."

Tsuyu and Momo cocked their heads at that.

"What makes you say that?" Momo asked.

"Tsuyu is here," Izuku said, glancing at the frog girl.

And they understood.

"If they knew what I could do, they wouldn't have sent me here." She nodded.

Then the boat shook, a humongous CRACK was heard, and they started to sink.

"Oh, my Lord!" Momo exclaimed, the three of them grabbing onto the balustrade for anything that might help them stay on their feet.

Looking over, they saw that one of the villains had split the ship in half with his quirk.

"What do we do? We will sink!" Momo cried out, the colour she had been regaining was gone now.

"Quirks, tell me your quirks!" Izuku whispered-yelled, hoping the ones on the water wouldn't hear.

"I can do everything a frog can," Tsuyu said without a doubt, "jump real high, stretch my tongue, climb any surface, throw out my stomach so I can clean it, and I can secret a toxic mucus, that just stings a bit. The last two won't help much, forget about it."

"I can create anything from my body, I just need to know what it's made of," Momo said, eyes big in horror.

"And I have super strength and speed, but... it still costs me my bones." Izuku held tighter onto the railing.

But what could they do with their quirks in their situation?

Her eyes went from Momo and Tsuyu, both also considering their condition.

"Girlies! Come here. It's time to play~" a man's voice came from the ever-nearing ocean water.

The rage that bubbled inside Izuku cleared her mind enough to have an idea.

"Yaoyorozu-san?" She called, standing to her full height between the taller girls, her green eyes flashing angrily.

She wouldn't let these monsters do whatever they wanted with them.

"Yes, Midoriya-san?"

"Do you know how to make one of those nets with weights on them?"

Momo stayed in silence for a minute until she nodded. "Yes, but I won't be able to make one for all of them!"

"No need, make one, I will give you an opening to take them all out at once."

"What do you have in mind, Midoriya-chan?" Tsuyu asked.

"I will round them up while you girls fly over, Yaoyourozu throws the net over them, caging them at least long enough for us to get back up there." Izuku pointed at where Aizawa was fighting the dwindling number of villains.

"You want to fight beside Aizawa-sensei against those monsters?" Momo asked, eyes getting wide, nearly falling from her skull.

"No, I just-"

"Let's talk about this later, princesses, we are halfway sunk already," Tsuyu stopped them.

Izuku nearly choked on her own saliva.

She knew Tsuyu didn't know about how Toshinori had chosen her to succeed them.

She was talking about how her father was a King.

And giving her way more credit than Izuku gave herself.

But she was right, so Momo made a net from her stomach with round metal weights in the ends big enough to take down a bear.

Tsuyu wrapped her tongue on the taller girl, and they nodded, signalling that Izuku could do whatever she had in mind.

The greenette climbed the balustrade, squinted her eyes, channelled her inner Katsuki and jumped.

"Come at me, bastards!" She yelled at the top of her still somewhat sore lungs.

She heard the snickers and taunts from them, and the image of her bullies flashed on her mind.

She wouldn't let them.

When she reached two thirds from the way to the ocean, she flicked her finger, One for All flowing through it.

The pressure she released was so much that she was flung into the air just like when she fought Katsuki, but this time there weren't any trees to explode.

The water, however, was set into a whirlpool, dragging all the people in it.

"Tsuyu! Yaoyorozu!" She yelled, clutching her broken fingers, both girls coming over beside her in the air.

Yaoyorozu threw the net over the mount of villains that had been put airborne, making the twenty or so people drop back down into the water.

As they struggled, the web knotted itself around their limbs, locking them in place.

Then Momo grabbed Izuku's not broken hand as Tsuyu's previous jump directed them straight towards the cliff's side.

"That was awesome, Midoriya-san!" Momo cheered, shivering all over again from the frigid air.

"No, Yaoyo-chan, you both were awesome," Tsuyu said.

"I'm just happy we got out of there." Izuku sighed, holding into Momo like the lifeline she was at the moment.

"Well get ready, because we are nearing the Drop," Tsuyu warned.

The other two's heads snapped to their destination just as the frog girl hit the spot the river met the sea, a couple of meters away from a rocked-stack that served as stairs that led them up where they needed to go.

They must have been at one of the scenarios Thirteen had been talking about.

Quickly the girls left the water and started ascending.

Izuku and Momo took the stairs, taking extra care to not step too hard so it wouldn't break apart. Tsuyu, however, climbed the side of the Drop with her quirk.

Every once in a while, Izuku would glance towards her, studying her.

And before she knew it, she was in a full muttering spree.

For example, Tsuyu's leggings weren't made of the right materials for her quirk, they didn't let her use her frog flexibility to its full potential, they should be made of the same fabric of her shirt. And her boots made the climbing harder, maybe if she wore thinner leather coverings on her feet, would make it easier?

And now that she thought about it, Momo's choice of clothing, even though it left her exposed to the cold weather, was great for her to use her quirk without restricting her. And she could use a cloak in the colder days, so that way, she would be protected from the freezing air and still free to use her power.

"Midoriya-chan, stop it, you are creeping me out," Tsuyu, who was now beside her on the wall, said, shutting Izuku up.

"You do have to recognize it, Tsuyu-san, Midoriya-san does make a good point about our quirks," Momo pointed out.

"Yes, she-" the girl started, but a hideous sound came from above their heads, followed by a pained scream.

Aizawa's scream.

The three girls dashed up the rest of the way, only stopping when they were able to see their sensei.

He was being held by the elbow by a man covered in hands. They went from his wrists to his whitish hair, blocking his face from their view, to which Izuku thanked whoever made his character design.

Aizawa pushed him away with his still useful hand but was attacked by the villains that were still up.

He fought, jumping left and right, his capture weapon tugging at them and taking them down, but not as fast as before.

"No matter how great of a pro you are Eraserhead, your quirk isn't suitable for long mele battles." Handy-man shook his head in mock sympathy. "Oh and I'd like to present to you, Nomu, the one made to kill his Trash-jesty, but I'm sure he can take you down too."

With one swift movement, a man that the girls had totally overlooked grabbed at their teacher's head.

Which was a great feat as he was... strange, to say the least.

They didn't even know if he was a he, but it was as if an ogre and a bird had been smashed together, making a massive, beaked monster.

And to add insult to injury, his brain was exposed for everyone to see, his eyes utterly unfocused as he sat on top of their teacher, flat on his stomach, his left arm twisted unnaturally on his assailant's hand.

"S-sensei..." Momo choked, her hands on her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.

Said man had his right elbow shattered, the same one Handy-man had been holding. His dry eyes were staring at the humongous beast on top of him, erasing his quirk.

But even without his power, he slammed his hand over Aizawa's broken elbow, making their sensei scream in agony.

"Your quirk is erasure, right? But let's be honest, that against natural strength is nothing," the man chuckled.

Then Bird-brain grabbed Aizawa's head and without even thinking about it, hammered it into the ground.

It was impossible to discern if the crack that followed was from Aizawa's skull or the ground. But the blood that guzzled out like rivers made the girls' stomach churn.

The first thought that crossed Izuku's mind was that they had to help him somehow.

They had to do something.

But as she moved, the mist that had separated the group appeared beside the hand man.

"Tomura Shigaraki," it called, and Izuku filed the names inside her head for later.

"Kurogiri? Is the other hero dead?" he asked, his hand covered head turned to where Izuku and group A had been when they arrived.

The three girls glanced too, eyes landing on the colourful figures of some of their friends jumping around, defending against attacks and retributing the violence the villains inflicted.

"Thirteen is out of commission," Kurogiri said, "but one student was able to get past our minions into the forest. Some followed him, but as our source told us, those who aren't named into Yuuei's hero files get lost in those magical woods. And he is quite fast, he should be reaching the main building in a couple of minutes."

That last part gave the girls at least a bit of relief. Tenya was getting help.

And... Magical woods? Really? She would have to ask Toshinori about it later.

"Oh, Kurogiri, if you weren't our way out I would destroy you!" Tomura screamed, scratching at his neck.

The sound of his nails scraping his parched skin would be the new soundtrack to Izuku's nightmares.

"Well..." he continued, "we should go back home, then."

"Is he...?" Momo asked, her dark eyes sparkling with a new hope.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Tsuyu admitted to which Izuku agreed.

And to confirm their suspicions, the white-haired man turned towards them, his red eyes shining with delight as he said, "but let's kill some kids, maybe it will hurt him." He chuckled.

Quicker then their eyes could assimilate, Tomura was now in front of them, his hand going straight to Momo's face.

_'No!'_ Izuku's mind - or did she say out loud? - screamed as she turned towards her friend as the man's fingers, the same ones that had destroyed their sensei's elbow, touched the princess' face.

But didn't do anything.

"You are awesome, Eraser." He chuckled again, all four of them glancing at the hero who had his head raised, quirk activated and face bloody.

Nomu didn't spare a second before he slammed Aizawa's head against the ground again, and this time, Izuku had a feeling they couldn't count on his help.

But she didn't have time to think, Tomura still had his hand on Momo's face, so she powered One for All on her arm, mentally praying to it to not kill the man.

"Let her go!" She yelled, his blood-red eyes glancing at her.

Then her fist made contact, dust and rubble flying everywhere.

When it settled back down, she saw that her arm wasn't broken, which was the good part. The bad part was that she hadn't hit Tomura - but Tsuyu had been able to pull Momo out of the way at the same time as she created a shield - but the Nomu.

"Such raw strength," Tomura said, his voice full of wonder, "are you one of the King's disciples?"

Izuku tried to take a step back, but there wasn't anywhere to go. She was standing on the highest point of a very slippery set of stairs over a drop that could kill her.

So when Nomu grabbed her arm, she couldn't do anything but let him. He raised her above the ground, and she kicked, trying to make him let go of her.

Tsuyu and Momo, who had created some weird metal pieces, made their way away from Tomura's hands by the side of the cliff.

But he ignored them, letting Kurogiri chase after them, his eyes solely on Izuku.

"Maybe killing you will make him show up," he theorized out loud, making his way to her.

He stood between the Nomu and her, studying her. She thought about kicking him too, but if he touched her, she would start falling apart, so she discarded the idea.

"Or maybe take you with me."

Before he could decide, the trees around the beaten path were suddenly uprooted, being flung into the river below by sheer pressure.

And now, at the clearing, Toshinori Yagi stood at his full height, his golden armour shining under the sun, blinding everyone.

But that wasn't what caught Izuku's attention.

The King's smile was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, you must be my lucky charm, little girl," Tomura said with a smile on his voice. "I think I'll bring you with me after we kill the King."

* * *

**So... how was it? **

**Please comment, tell me what you think, it literally gives me life and it just gives me more drive to write!**


	8. Pooling Blood

Izuku's big doe eyes stared up at the vile crimson pools of the man she learned was named Tomura as his words rang through her head.

Take her with him.

That is what he said as Toshinori appeared at the Drop not even twenty minutes after the villains showed up, though it seemed like decades.

Terror and hope clashed on the teenager's gut unpleasantly.

She had to get out of this situation as fast as she possibly could, but the tight hold Nomu had on her arm didn't let up, probably leaving bruises that would plague her for days.

Not only her and her friends' lives were at stake, but she was going to be on Toshinori's way, and Izuku had to face it, those villains wouldn't hesitate in killing her if it meant saving their own skin or making the King give up his own.

"I was dealing with an intrusion that happened in the main building, that I can safely say could be tied to you. And as I made my way here, I came across young Iida," Toshinori said, his voice deep and cold like she had never heard before, his feet crushing the grass underneath him as he made his way through the unconscious forms of the villains her friends had been able to immobilize, only stopping to glance at the teenagers that were crowding around the twitching form of Thirteen.

She was alive.

Izuku hadn't seen what had happened to her exactly, but the back of her knight armour was torn, and she barely could raise her head from the mud. Mina was holding her hand, shaking her head vigorously when Toshinori asked if they were hurt.

Rikido, Yuga and Ochaco, the ones that were around the two, had rounded the villains up and Izuku could imagine the happy smiles and tear-filled eyes the four teenagers had at the sight of the one who would make this nightmare be done and over with.

"He told me about what was taking place here," Toshinori continued, "So don't fear young ones, I'm here now."

Izuku supposed those words were meant to be an addition to his trademark smile, a combination to spread hope. But as the grin was absent, it made her feel the actual threat the man posed to those villains.

Izuku heard her friend's increasing cheers for their saviour, as the men and women that had been lurking around thought they could take on the massive form of the Monarch.

Kurogiri and Tomura, on their end, were like statues, carefully regarding their goal.

With the big-time villains' focus elsewhere, Momo and Tsuyu, who had been trying to escape from the Warp Gates' reach on the side of the cliff, were able to get back on firm ground, crouching low to the grass in an attempt to hide behind some bushes.

Izuku caught both girls' eyes and saw the doubt they held in their stance, screaming the desire to come back for her.

She shook her head, glancing at the way Tomura's smile crept from behind the hand mask he wore, his eyes fixed on Toshinori.

They couldn't come any closer, or he would destroy them with a joy similar to a kid who just got a present.

But before any of the girls could decide on the best course of action, a blur passed through the villains' ranks, catching their attention. It went through them so quickly that the only thing that supported the fact that it was Toshinori was the bodies he left in his wake.

In less than two seconds all minions were down, and the one responsible for it was standing beside Momo and Tsuyu, whose eyes were so big that they might as well be halfway out of their sockets.

"Are you injured," he asked, his blue eyes flying from Izuku, who was still dangling from Nomu's grip, and Aizawa, who was at the monster's feet.

He was unconscious, but Izuku was oh so relieved to see the rise and fall from his chest.

If he didn't survive this, she didn't know how she would react.

He had been mean to her in the beginning, but she was sure it was just his way to show he cared. He had been trying to save her from a sure death if she wasn't cut out for the job.

And he did make her want to do better, so she could show him she will achieve all her dreams, but if he died now, she wouldn't be able to prove it to him.

"Young Yaoyorozu, can you create something to transport Aizawa?" Toshinori asked, staring at the pool of blood that was soaking the ground underneath Izuku.

That was the only thing that made the teenager happy to be held off the ground, at least she didn't have to step on the man's blood.

"Umm, yes, I-I c-can, your Ma-majesty," the girl stuttered, already making whatever she had in mind.

"Magnificent. Young Asui, stay here with her and keep an eye for one of those villains, there might be one who I wasn't able to knock down completely. Otherwise, don't move, I'll be back in a second," Toshinori told the girls, his blue eyes staring at the little group made up from Izuku, Aizawa, Nomu, Tomura and Kurogiri.

In a rush of air, the bleeding form of the teacher disappeared from the ground, to then be handed off to the girls that had a stretcher ready to carry him.

"Now, go girls, this isn't going to be pretty," he told them, pointing towards the way he came.

"B-but sir! No-not that we are doubting your judgment or a-anything, w-we would never, but-" Momo started rambling.

"What Momo-chan is trying to say is, Izuku is still there, sir. If we can help..." Tsuyu cut her off.

"Yes, and Aizawa doesn't have long." He threw them a blinding smile. "I'll deal with them."

Both girls faltered, glanced at the man in the stretcher, then slowly nodded, trusting Toshinori to save their friend.

But as they walked off, the voice that had been quiet up until that moment rang through the clearing, echoing ominously through the cliff walls.

"Oh, are you really?" Tomura asked.

He kneeled slowly, taking the hand mask that the sheer force of Toshinori's run had ripped from his face.

"I was told you were quick, and I have to admit, I underestimated you, your Trashesty," he said as he placed the hand over his face, and Izuku was relieved that she couldn't see it. "But you are not as quick as people said you were."

And with that, he chuckled, and Izuku halted at her futile attempts to make Nomu ley go of her hand.

Did he know about One for All? But how could he? Did someone tell him? Had Toshinori met this guy before?

Unlike the teenager, the King's mind wasn't overthinking this at all. The only thought he had was to get his successor away from those men.

"Give me back my student, you villain!" He growled, jumping towards them.

"Nomu" was the only thing the man said.

Izuku didn't understand what happened, she only caught up to it when she saw the back of Nomu as he held onto the King's fist.

She was on the ground now, kneeling on Aizawa's blood, her not bruised hand on Tomura's grip as he, with his other hand, directed her head towards the fight and kept her down.

She was in a worse situation than early, hands down.

If he as much as lowered one of his pinkies, she was dead. And just the feeling of her teacher's blood seeping into her leggings made her want to throw everything she had ever eaten up.

"You are strong, aren't you?" Toshinori grumbled as he was kept on a standstill merely ten feet in front of her.

With his left, he went for a second punch at the monster, but he didn't even react to it.

"That is the Nomu for you, he was magically created after a long and tiresome spell session just for you. He is the Anti-Symbol of Peace, as strong and durable as you," Tomura explained. "He has a quirk called Shock Absorption, so no matter how strong you punch him he will take it, the only way for you to destroy him would be if you rip him apart, but I doubt he would let you do that."

Spell session? Those still existed?

Only elves knew how to perform actual magic, and they were extinct ages ago. There were rumours about books filled with magic spells hidden in the dark forest, but it would take a lifetime for a human to find one and understand what it said, as elves were very secretive about their own powers.

And that would mean that these men were from the Dark Lands, the place of origin and extinction of the elven race.

Berne.

Her father's lands.

Did they know who she was or was Tomura Shigaraki really just a childlike man, seeing her as a prize?

"Oh, it's that easy then?" The King asked, cutting through the terrible line of thought Izuku was going down.

She stored the thought away with the growing pile of things to sort through later and started looking for a way out. Because it didn't matter if they knew or not, Tomura would kill or kidnap her if the chance arose.

And she sincerely didn't know which one was worse.

Toshinori punched Nomu in the brain to then grab him by the torso and backflip them both to bury the monster's head in the grass.

Izuku guessed he wanted to make sure Nomu would stay immobilized, but it failed horribly, as Kurogiri opened a gate beneath them and Nomu stabbed his pointy fingers into Toshinori's sides. The hope to annihilate the monster was promptly discarded.

Toshinori screamed as blood from his old injury flowed through the holes on his armour, sweat pooling on his brows. He let go of Nomu, trying desperately to free himself from its claws.

"That was a good strategy, but we wouldn't let you do that." Tomura chuckled, holding Izuku's curls in an iron grip, forcing her to face the cruelty inflicted to her predecessor.

"P-Please, stop. What did the King ever do to you?" Izuku questioned, her eyes filling with tears of frustration.

"He gives the people a false sense of security, of hope, and on top of that, he makes people like you think that what he does is noble, making you follow in his footsteps. He is the cruellest one out there, I hate it, and I destroy everything that I hate." He made eye contact with her, and she saw the crazy in the red orbs. "I'm sorry to burst your bubble, little girl, but now it's the time where we rid this world of the filth that are heroes!" Tomura chuckled.

"And as you have fallen into our trap, King Yagi, I will close my gate shut, cutting you in half," Kurogiri explained, "Normally I would repulse the idea of having blood and entrails coat the insides of my gate, but I would, gladly, make an exception for someone as legendary as you, your Majesty."

Izuku fought against Tomura's grip, she tried to free herself and help Toshinori.

She had to, she couldn't let him die.

There were so many things she wanted the man to teach her! She needed to show him she could do everything they aspired!

Tomura's terrifying giggles came to a stop as he pulled at her hair again, forcing her to keep still, he then lowered himself enough so he could whisper in her ear. "After you watch as it happens, you will come with us, our own little lucky charm, my new pet."

His breath on her ear made her want to rip his hand mask and smack him, multiple times, with it until he was knocked unconscious, maybe wipe the condescending smirk off his face while she was at it.

"Get your fuckin' hands away from her, you sick motherfucker!" A yell came from the cliff, followed by explosions that filled Izuku with anticipation.

"Kacchan!" She cried as not only the blond grabbed Kurogiri by the neck and slammed him against the earth, but Shoto sprang from the cliff with a bridge of ice and froze Nomu.

Eijiro tumbled behind them and went straight for her and Tomura.

"You stay right where you are! All of you, kids!" He yelled, letting go of her hand and taking her cheeks between four of his fingers. "If you take one step, you will see your little friend over here die."

The three boys stopped as they regarded the man that, literally, held Izuku's life in his hands.

Through the chaos, the girl met Katsuki's stare, and she could see the unadulterated rage that made his ruby eyes seem like melting jewels, but she sincerely didn't know if it was directed only to Tomura.

She had gone against his wishes and hadn't left the Drop, had made him worry, but she felt just a little better when she remembered she had helped Momo and Tsuyu. If she had left, they would still be in that boat, maybe even attacked by the villains that were there.

As the teenagers stayed still, Toshinori freed himself and jumped away from the portal, making sure to stand far away from where Tomura and Izuku were.

He didn't want to risk her life because the mad man thought he got too close.

"Now." Tomura sighed, moving his pinky away, then closer to her cheeks, taunting them all. "The foul-mouthed kid is gonna let go of my scapegoat, then Nomu is gonna beat you all to a pulp and the four of us, and all the minions that can walk, are leaving, was I clear?"

Eijiro looked around, trying to find anyone who agreed to it. Shoto stood straighter but didn't take a step, and Toshinori took a battle stance.

They didn't agree, but Katsuki was the one who made it clear.

"Don't you dare think you are goin' to take Deku with you," he growled, throttling Kurogiri for good measure.

"And your creature isn't going anywhere, I froze it as deep as it's organs," Shoto said in his ever monotone voice.

"Young heroes and their ideal of persistent victory." The fair-haired man chuckled. "Nomu."

By the simple call of its name, with a tortured sound, Nomu broke itself away from the warp gate, his frozen parts breaking apart.

When he settled, all of his right side was laying on the ground, turned into ice.

Izuku made a mental note to not piss Shoto off if she wanted to keep her own members attached.

But the most gruesome part of it all wasn't seeing the limbs laying on the ground. It was seeing them grow again in less than a couple of seconds then move. It made Izuku think of a time when she had seen a snake shedding its skin, but way freakier and faster.

"You said his quirk was Shock Absorption!" Toshinori yelled angrily, stepping in front of the boys for good measure.

"And I also said that we performed a long spell session. Did you think we would do that and not mix some things together? Now, free Kurogiri, Nomu." Tomura ordered.

With speed similar to the King's, Nomu sprinted towards Katsuki, who didn't even have time to raise his arm to throw an explosion.

The impact was instantaneous.

"Kacchan!" Izuku's desperate voice echoed through the canyon walls.

She had thought that if Aizawa died, she wouldn't know what to do, but now, not knowing if Katsuki was okay beyond the curtain of dust and being stopped from making her way towards him was killing her, like her heart was just ripped from her rib cage and she watched as it was stepped upon.

"Stay quiet, my little pet, I'm sure he's dead." Tomura's voice had such glee in it that Izuku didn't even feel remorse when she let him drag her back towards him, and, with One for All powering her left arm, she elbowed him in the thigh, right above his knee cap.

Not enough to break his leg, but it hurt like hell, and it did break some of her bones.

He let go of her hair and cheeks immediately, his surprised cry distracting her from the crack of her elbow and the blood dripping from her leggings as she dashed away towards the big cloud of dust that had covered her view.

"Kacchan!"

The lack of response made her heart stop.

"Katsuki!" She yelled again, entering the dust cloud.

"Deku?!"

His voice was better than the first gulp of air she had after Tsuyu saved her from her impromptu meeting with the ocean.

Before she could ask where he was or what happened, they found each other, the dust finally settling.

He was on the floor, his eyes big in confusion.

"How did you-?" Katsuki started, but then saw her arm. "You broke free, literally."

He dashed to his feet, his cape flowing around him as he grabbed the one arm that wasn't broken and pulled her towards him until she was pressed to his side.

"Seriously, how do you do it?" he groaned into her hair.

"What d'you mean?" she slurred into his bare chest, high in adrenaline.

The thoughts of him keeping secrets from her were pushed to the side at the assurance that he was alive and in one piece.

"Get your ass in all kinds of trouble and come out with at least a couple of broken bones."

"Don't know," she said, putting some distance between them so she could give him a smirk.

Then, like lightning, it hit her.

"How did you escape from Nomu's punch?" She asked, head going left and right.

Eijiro, who was a couple of feet away, pointed towards a trail in the ground.

"He took the blow," Shoto said simply.

At the end of the trail, several trees had toppled over by the sheer force from Toshinori crashing into them.

"To- Your Majesty!" Izuku yelled, trading one worry for another.

"They are just kids," he huffed, spitting blood and saliva, tinting the grass red.

His armour was sprawled in the floor, bent and broken, leaving him in a white undershirt, his pants and boots.

Izuku pushed away from Katsuki, who simply held onto her hand, careful to not touch her previously broken fingers.

"Are you that dumb?" He hissed when she tried again. "You have, at least, seven broken bones, and you want to fight that thing?" He got closer so he could whisper in her ear. "What if he takes you and discovers about the quirk? Or who your father is?"

She had thought of that, and it was one of the worst-case scenarios, but losing Toshinori was even worse.

It would send the country into despair, and there wouldn't be anyone to step up to the role of ruler, to make everyone feel safe.

"It doesn't matter! We have to help him!" she shouted.

"We have, you should go back to the entrance," Shoto told her, pointing where the rest of their group was gathering. "You have down enough, Midoriya."

"But, the King-"

"You should all go." Toshinori's voice boomed over theirs. "I can deal with them."

"If it wasn't for me, you would still be in that thing's hands," Shoto said with a hint of indignation.

"Yes, young Todoroki, and I am immensely grateful for your help, however, let me show you how a hero does it," Toshinori said, flashing a smile.

"Wow," Tomura cut them before Shoto could protest again, "Didn't expect the little girl to pack such a punch." He rose to his feet, Kurogiri beside him when he wobbled a bit.

Izuku gulped but didn't let Katsuki pull her behind him. She wouldn't show any of them how terrified she was of being on that man's grip again and would stand tall against him.

"You know that only makes me want to take you with me even more, right?" He laughed as he watched her as she stood taller to stop right after. "Nomu, Kurogiri, deal with that poor excuse of a King while I get my new pet."

"It seems we're all fightin' after all," Eijiro pointed out unhelpfully as the four teenagers took fighting stances.

Izuku followed Tomura's movements as he ran towards them.

Towards her to be more precise.

He was fast, but his stretched arms made his intentions clear for her to read and dodge, even without One for All.

But she never had to, because before the man could make his way over the marks that Toshinori had left on the ground, the shock wave from his first coming in contact with Nomu's open hand sent him back.

"You are not touching any of my students with your filthy hands, villain, not if I can help it."

After that, each step any of them tried to make was undone by a shock wave from their punches.

One after the other, in the gut, face, chest, anywhere that would leave shattered bones behind if the one receiving them didn't have Shock Absorption.

But the punches Nomu gave Toshinori were or nullified by his own or made the man spit more and more blood.

"I told you already! He has Shock Absorption!" Tomura yelled at him, grabbing at the floor with one hand and protecting his hurt leg with the other.

"Yes, indeed you did, but as you said, he has 'absorption' not 'negation'." The King said, never stopping with his punches. "If he was really meant to take me on, you should have given him something that would handle my power when I go beyond!"

Those words made it all clear for Izuku.

The blows weren't random, or at his usual output, they were going beyond it!

"Before I became King, I was a hero, and that is what a hero's job is! To destroy anything that stands between them and the safety of the people! So tell me, young man, have you ever heard the motto of the country that I rule?"

With that, the blurred movements slowed until everyone was able to see Nomu suspended in the air, in what Izuku could only name as 'shock', as Toshinori prepared for the finishing blow.

"If you haven't, let me teach you." He took in one last breath and yelled, "PLUS ULTRA!"

The point where the King's first came in contact with Nomu contracted in on itself to then make the whole body fly into the woods, where he fell so far away that they barely were able to hear his body hit the ground again.

Silence.

The majority of it was from shock, the rest was from fear of being the next to upset the King and receive the same treatment.

Then both were gone from the teenagers, and the cheers were so loud that Izuku was pretty sure that wherever Nomu had fallen, if he wasn't unconscious, he would be able to hear them.

But Izuku knew it wasn't over.

The villains didn't have as much muscle power as before, but the mist coming from Toshinori's body was a clear sign that he was reaching his limit.

"Now what, villains?" Toshinori taunted. "Didn't you say you were going to deal with me earlier?"

Tomura was visibly trembling, his hands on his necks and scratching at it.

"Nomu - You took out Nomu. You cheated!" He yelled, scratching harder at his neck.

Izuku frowned. 'Cheated'? For real?

Tomura Shigaraki was just a spoiled brat with a powerful quirk but wasn't getting what he wanted!

"I was lied to…" he muttered, emphasizing her discovery, "he's not weakened at all!"

"Aren't you coming at me?" Toshinori taunted again, keeping their attention on him.

"Come on, guys, he will deal with those villains," Shoto said, already turning to leave.

"Yeah, we can help the others with rounding the villains up," Eijiro proposed.

But Izuku didn't move, her eyes jumped from Toshinori to Tomura and Kurogiri.

She knew that the King couldn't do anything if they attacked him, but if he didn't scare them like he was doing, they would attack and hope would be lost for him.

So everything was going well for them. Tomura was stepping away from their little group, and Kurogiri wasn't really doing anything.

But if they realize that the King was on his last legs, it could end it all for them, and the Warp Gate chose that moment for it.

The mist man made his way to Tomura's side and in a soothing, or as soothing as a villain's voice could be, he said, "stay calm, Tomura Shigaraki, Nomu didn't live to our imagination. However, he did inflict damage. The young girl you liked so much is still close, the other kids are also holding back, together we still have a chance to achieve our goals!"

Those words seemed to do the trick as Tomura stopped his scratching and said, "let's take down the supposed King, capture my pet and go home."

"They are going to attack, we should go before they take Midoriya." Shoto started walking again, Eijiro right behind him.

"Deku," Katsuki called.

He knew of Toshinori's limits, she had told him about it, but she was so hurt that he sincerely didn't know how she was still standing.

And he also knew that if he didn't take her out of there now, she would put herself in more danger, risking even to get herself captured.

But she was so stubborn that even as he kept trying to shift her attention away, she simply ignored him, focusing solely on the battle that would start.

Tomura and Kurogiri made their move, rushing towards the King.

As both teens predicted, he didn't move, just smiled through the fear they understood he was feeling.

Without thinking, as most of Izuku's actions started, she jumped, One for All breaking her legs instantaneously, but giving the propulsion to be right at the villains' side.

Her legs and left arm flapped in the wind as she raised her right fist to punch Kurogiri at the metal neck armour he wore.

If she could take him out, that would seal Tomura here, but it just might make him lose his cool again, giving them more time to take care of him.

But as her fist came closer to its destination, Kurogiri opened a portal right at her face and from it came Tomura's hand.

She didn't have time to dodge or punch him the fast-approaching doom.

She was going to die the moment he touched her with his malevolent fingers.

But as she closed her eyes in fear, her ears shutting down the voices yelling her name, something zoomed past her face, and a growl of pain followed.

Izuku quickly opened her eyes as she hit the ground and not a hand.

To her left, Tomura could also be found on the floor with an arrow sticking out of his hand.

The same hand he had tried to touch her with.

_'Where in the seven rings of hell did that arrow come from?'_ Her mind yelled in confusion.

She tried getting up to see what happened, but the adrenaline rush she had been experiencing, the one that kept the pain at bay was over, and she felt the indescribable feeling of both broken legs, plus her shattered elbow and fingers.

Izuku bit her lip to contain most of her cry in.

"Deku, you idiot!" Katsuki yelled now beside her.

He turned her around and pulled her away from the villains, making her gasp as the unexpected jostle.

He only stopped when she was on the other side of the trails Toshinori did, her body supported by his.

Now upright, Izuku saw one of the most beautiful sights she had seen that day.

The pro-heroes were standing at the clearing.

Tenya had done it. He had reached the castle and brought the faculty!

But the one who saved her was the one in front of the group.

A man with a bow, shooting arrow after arrow at random locations, but each was followed by grunting sounds.

The minions that were still up were quickly dealt with by the pros.

"I think we better go," Tomura sighed, holding his bleeding hand and still limping on his left knee. "Don't forget my pet, Kurogiri, oh and kill the blond one, I don't like him."

Kurogiri nodded and opened a portal for him, but before he could move towards them to follow Tomura's orders, or even that the young man could step inside the gate, four other arrows found him, making him stumble inside it and forcing the Warp Gate to direct all his power to protect him.

Before they disappeared from the USJ grounds, Tomura stuck his head out of the portal one last time as if he just got his bearings, his crazy eyes locked on Izuku.

"I will come back to get you, my lucky charm! And when I do, his Trashesty won't stand in my way!" He promised, and both him and Kurogiri were gone from the Drop.

Silence fell over the USJ, only broken by grunts of pain, arrows piercing the air and occasional sobs.

"Young Bakugo!" Toshinori called from his cloud of mist after a minute, "is she- is Izuku okay?"

Katsuki and Izuku made eye contact, and she gave him a smile to which he only glared at.

"I'm fine, Toshi. I'm just sorry I couldn't help you," she answered, earning herself a sigh of relief than a chuckle from the King.

"You are wrong about that, young Izuku. Without you, those men would've killed me," he said truthfully.

Izuku's eyes filled with tears. "I'm just so happy that the two of you are okay!"

"Are you fucking serious?" Katsuki asked, "you are worried about me? I'm a King, Deku, and I don't even have a scratch! And Yagi might be weirdly half-and-half now, but he is tougher than that!"

Izuku glanced at the King when she didn't understand Katsuki's words, but he was right, Toshinori was half skinny, half muscly.

But a hundred per cent alive.

"You are right," she said, her eyes dropping.

And now that the magnitude of what happened finally reached her, she let herself fall unconscious.


	9. Unfinished Discussions

**I'm getting old, people. But I look at myself in the mirror and I ain't seeing a seventeen-year-old at all. **

**Am I the only one?**

**Am I going crazy?**

**Probably, but this ain't the point...**

**I just hope you guys enjoy this one.**

* * *

Izuku was locked inside a rusty cage, her hands tying her to the highest bar on top of a pool of blood where she stood, her long white dress splattered and soaked.

In disgust, Izuku tried to find somewhere, anywhere, for her to get out of the red liquid. But there was nowhere in the damned cage that she was able to reach with her hands tied like this.

She then tried to escalate the metal chains that held her, but her hands and feet were smeared with blood, incapacitating any kind of secure grip.

So Izuku looked beyond, trying to discern what was lying outside of her boundaries.

The fear started to rise from deep inside of her.

Outside of her cage, there was only darkness, endless and shapeless that seemed to move around, catching her attention and leaving her freaked out.

Then, from behind her, she heard it, a scratching that she could just put as nails scratching at parched skin.

The terrifying sound made her own skin crawl, her mind yelling for her to get out of there, to run away as fast as she could.

She pulled and pulled at the chains, but they held firmly against her, leaving her wrist raw and bruised.

But the voice was the last nail on her coffin.

"Didn't I tell you I would come back to get you, my pet? I always keep my promises!" It said from the dark, followed by a laugh so evil that Izuku sincerely thought about dropping into the calf-high blood and trying to hide under its surface.

"So…" the voice continued, "who do you want as your new toy?"

After those words echoed around her, two spotlights flickered on, and Izuku's insides churned.

To her right, held by his hair, was Toshinori in his skinny form, a big red stain coming from his torso, his blue eyes closed.

To her left, was Katsuki in the same position. His strong arms and legs were limp at his side's as his cape was nowhere in sight, leaving his bare maimed chest free for anyone to see.

But the worst part was the dull, lifeless eyes that stared at her.

The same orbs she was used to comparing to a burning inferno were frozen.

"So, my little, lucky charm, who is it gonna be?" The voice chuckled. "The Trashjesty, or the Foul-Mouthed Kid? And you know how it works, if you don't choose, we kill both!"

Then it clicked.

In terror Izuku finally noticed the bodies scattered around, some inside the cage others lying motionless right outside, but all of them were mutilated, broken and with limbs that had been completely destroyed by his touch alone.

Izuku's eyes pooled with tears at the scene in front of her. People she knew personally or had seen around Yuuei laid dead in the ground because of her, and now, she had to choose between Katsuki and Toshinori.

Who would be the next?

Whose blood would fill the pool she stood in a bit more?

She couldn't choose, wouldn't.

Those two were too important. Too precious.

Her sobs were uncontrollable as she shook her head and tried to free herself from the chains' hold so she could run towards both men.

"Oh! So that's how it is?" The voice asked, "well, guess more fun for me then!"

And then two severed hands appeared beside them, and with one touch, Toshinori and Katsuki were gone, bodies completely obliterated, blood flying everywhere.

And Izuku screamed until she bolted upright on her cot in the infirmary.

"Fuck!" Katsuki cursed, jumping from his chair.

Chiyo stumbled on her feet, the bandages she had been holding flew into the air in surprise.

And Toshinori, who was lying on the cot beside her, also jumped, nearly falling to the ground. "Shit!" he cried out, holding onto the sides of the mattress to steady himself.

"Oh, my good Lord!" Chiyo exhaled when Izuku finally stopped yelling her lungs out.

The girl's breathing was still out of rhythm and panicked, but her fleeting eyes caught on to the very much alive men beside her.

With that, she flopped back with a huff, staring up into the ceiling.

Trying hard to rein in her breathing.

"Sorry," Izuku apologized when her lungs were set into a tolerable rhythm.

The three of them stayed silent for a moment, worried glances being thrown at her.

"Don't apologize, Midoriya," Chiyo finally said, picking up the bandages that had fallen. "It must have been hard to be in your position."

Izuku didn't respond, making the room fall into an awkward silence as she closed her eyes, trying to make the images flashing through her head disappear.

"It's the third time already, Deku! Ya can't keep pulling this crap!" Katsuki yelled at Izuku out of nowhere, breaking her concentration.

The greenette looked his way, seeing the anger but also the relief.

He had been worried.

So Izuku sent him a comforting smile that she hoped reached her eyes.

He opened his mouth again, a shout ready to leave his lips, but the old woman cut him off.

"Don't you start, Bakugo! I won't have a screaming match in my office!" Chiyo yelled right back, her cane raised high on a threat.

The teenage girl slowly sat straighter on the bed she was becoming familiar with as the blond huffed and dropped on a chair beside her.

And if she wasn't focusing on her bandaged filled body, she might have noticed how the frown left his face as he watched her.

Some of her fingers and both her legs were involved with bandages, the latter, under a white gown, _'perfectly clean'_, her mind supplied in relief.

And her left arm was bound to her chest to restrict her movements.

_'The one that had broken her free from the real-life nightmare,'_ her mind added, unhelpfully this time.

"How do you feel, young Izuku?" Toshinori asked in the cot beside hers, bringing her out of her head.

She stretched her previously broken fingers, feeling the painful tug from her damaged ligaments.

"I'm great," she lied with a smile. "How are the others? And Aizawa and Thirteen?"

"All your teammates came out unscathed," the old woman answered before Katsuki could poke at her lie with his fist. "Eraserhead and Thirteen were taken to the main hospital as their injuries were too severe for my healing, only, but they will pull through with minor scars."

Izuku's smile became truthful at those words.

"And you, Toshi?" She glanced at him.

His chest was bandaged, but nothing else.

The King looked down at his hands. "I think I shortened my time limit."

"I'm-"

"Don't apologize, it was my pleasure if it meant helping you," the man said as he looked at her with so many emotions.

"Now." Chiyo came up beside Izuku before she could start crying or ask any kind of questions. "Your legs should be fine for walking in a couple of hours. I will leave your elbow bandaged until tomorrow, you did a number on that one, and you don't have enough stamina to heal everything." The woman shook her head disapprovingly. "And you must have felt a tug on your fingers just now, that is only going to get worse if you keep doing what you are doing, so I expect that with your three battle crazed minds you will find a way for you to stop coming here with self-inflicted injuries." Chiyo punctuated her grounding with a kiss on Izuku's cheek, making the girl groan and feel like liquid as she sank into the cot.

"I hate and love your quirk, Shuzenji-san." Izuku chuckled.

"Then why don't you stop coming over, huh?" Chiyo half-joked.

"I think she fuckin' can't," Katsuki accused.

"That would be my fault then," Toshinori said in a voice so small that for a second all three of them thought they had imagined it.

Izuku got up on her right elbow and asked, "Why would it be your fault?"

"Because I am not doing a great job of keeping you safe, and I am a horrendous teacher. If I knew how to teach you. If I knew how to make this whole process easier for you, you wouldn't be here every time you use One for All," He answered.

"You-"

"Are ya stupid?" Katsuki asked, cutting Izuku.

Everyone turned towards him as he stood up and leaned over her cot, looking directly at Toshinori, his eyebrows near his hairline as the other one had his face set on a sneer.

The older King opened his mouth, but the younger one shut him up with a wave of his hand. "Don't fuckin' answer that. Of course, ya're if ya think that Deku gettin' hurt is 'cause ya're a shitty teacher. Listen-" he pointed right at Izuku's face. "-this one gets hurt if ya give her cutlery."

Izuku crossed her arms and pouted. "That was one time, Kacchan!"

"See! Ya can't possibly think that it's anyone's fault when she gets hurt, but the one who actually fuckin' did it."

Izuku didn't voice the fact that he did worry.

"Then why don't you follow your advice?" Chiyo asked with a coy smile.

Why did she do that?! Didn't she know that Katsuki hated having to explain his actions?! Or worse, his feelings!

You see, Izuku Midoriya has known Katsuki Bakugo for ten years, and even though, at first glance, he may seem aloof, bordering on rude, he did care about his friends and family, but if you pointed it out, you should be prepared for the beating of the century.

So she was pretty sure Katsuki would yell at the woman.

But to her surprise... he didn't.

His cheeks turned red, his widened eyes looking at anything but at the greenette.

"T-that ain't the fuckin' point!"

Did he stutter? Yes, Izuku was sure he did. Wow, that was new. What could possibly have made the tough boy falter on his words?

And did he just admit that he cared about her?

Izuku glanced outside to see if the world was ending 'cause this sure was out of character.

"The point is!" He yelled, changing the subject quickly. "Ya should just fuckin' make sure to be close to get her the hell away from trouble." He sat back on his chair, then with a glare, he growled, "not that she fuckin' listens!"

Chiyo only snickered as Toshinori nodded and Izuku shook her head in astonishment, then reclining herself back and making herself comfortable on her bed again.

The four of them fell into a whole new awkward silence as the old woman, who looked very satisfied, started taking the bandages on Izuku's legs off.

Green eyes traced the skin that was now unblemished even though she felt too sore to even use the muscles beneath it.

She would love to promise herself One for All would never break one of her bones again, but she knew it was an impossible thing to even consider at the moment.

But it did make her remember something that didn't have anything to do with it, or that might.

"Today was filled with magic," Izuku muttered above a whisper, trying to remember everything that was remotely linked with Elvin Magic.

First, there was the Nomu that was made through a long spell session and then there were the woods that surrounded Yuuei.

Two occurrences, it was more than Izuku had ever heard about in fifteen years of life.

"Did ya break your nerdy head too?" Katsuki asked.

"Well, I wouldn't use those words to describe the horrible things that happened." Toshinori shook his head, sparing a worried glance towards his successor, silently agreeing with the abrasive young man.

"Not what I meant." She sighed. "There was more than one mention of magic today. The magic woods, the spell session Shigaraki put Nomu through. Those are all Elven based magic that hasn't been used in generations!"

"But those woods have been enchanted ever since Yuuei was founded, back when Quirks first appeared and Elves were accepted in their midst. If I remember correctly, it was a gift of thank you for the occasional sanctuary from the Hunters," Chiyo said.

"Fine, but what about those men?" Izuku insisted.

Toshinori didn't say anything, just hummed.

"Whatcha getting' at, Deku?"

"I believe that she thinks there is a possibility those men that attacked you earlier got their hands on an Elven Spell Books," the older woman clarified for her.

Izuku nodded. "Only the elves could use actual magic before humans got quirks, but when the Nameless King started his rule, he completely decimated them. Some say that it was because he felt threatened by their magic, others that he wanted the books, but in any case, Berne is the only place known to still store those books, or at least that is what it's believed," Izuku said with a shine to her eyes.

She loved talking about that kind of thing, even though it was a tragic thing that her biological father did.

Izuku turned to Toshinori as he stayed silent, his hands on his chin in deep thought.

"What are you thinking?" The greenette asked after a couple of minutes.

"I'm thinking that you require a long nap, my girl, by the loud way you woke up, I would take an educated guess and say it wasn't a very refreshing sleep."

She looked away.

It hadn't.

The laugh that now she placed as Tomura's, still rang through her head, echoing around and leaving chills everywhere it went.

But when she started to protest, to ask more about her speculations, Chiyo shook her head.

"His Majesty is right, you need to sleep." She turned to Katsuki. "Both of you, no-" she cut him when he went to complain, "you've had a very trying day, now out."

With that, she shooed the young King out, and when he started to yell, she whacked him on the head, yelled at him to sleep and tell the others the same thing, even threatening to go check it later with Aizawa and closed the door behind him.

Then the considerably short and threatening woman pointed at Izuku with a glare. "Sleep."

Not fancying to get whacked in the head too, Izuku closed her eyes and wished to every star that she wouldn't meet any blue-haired man in her unconsciousness.

But fate was not on her side today, it seemed.

Because when Izuku woke up again, it was in a cold sweat.

This time, while she was still locked inside the rusty cage, Tomura had Kurogiri cut Momo and Tsuyu in half in front of her eyes.

Now, as she puffed, sitting safe and sound on her cot in the infirmary, she let herself take in a calming breath, trying really hard to mute her friends' screams of pain.

When she got her breathing into control for the nth time that day, the greenette noted that all the bandages on her fingers were gone, her skin perfect and her joints moving swiftly, only leaving her elbow set in a permanent position against her chest.

"You know," Toshinori's voice reached her, startling her, "I can't promise they will go away completely, but-" he sent her a reassuring smile, "they do get better."

"Do you get nightmares, Toshi?"

He averted his gaze, his bright eyes dulling as if he was seeing another time, another person.

The blond man only nodded, and Izuku decided to not ask about it.

The darkening room was coated in silence, their breath the only sound left until a knock made both their heads snap towards the door.

"Your Highness?" A man's voice travelled through the wood.

A semblance of excitement appeared on the King's face. "Come on in!"

In came a black-haired man with a long beige cloak and hat.

"Oh, perfect, you are both awake," he said, taking his hat off and putting it above the table in front of the cots.

Izuku was slightly taken aback by the fact that Toshinori didn't seem to care that this man was seeing him in his shrunken form, but she didn't say anything.

"Izuku, my girl, this is Naomasa Tsukauchi, he is a detective of Yuuei's force, and a great friend of mine."

Naomasa chuckled. "Such an introduction." He glances at Izuku, inspecting her. "You must be the girl I've been hearing about, the one who inherited One for All." His smile fell. "The daughter of the Nameless King."

The first reaction of shock was quickly flipped into sadness as Izuku stared out the window before nodding.

He leaned on the table, his arms folded in front of his chest. "I have to admit, when His Majesty said that he wanted to give you the quirk, I was sceptical." She met his dark eyes. "You had just met, and…"

"My father," she finished it with a gloomy voice.

The girl had to agree, she too didn't understand how Toshinori could just have given her the quirk without even knowing her for more than two weeks, but she wouldn't disappoint him, she wouldn't give him a reason to doubt her.

The detective nodded casually, but the smirk he gave her next took her by surprise. "But then I talked to the rest of your group, looking for any clues to piece together what happened today, and most of them said how you simply put your life on the line to help them, on more than one occasion. Let's just say that I was sold."

Izuku's smile brightened the room.

It made her feel trusted when her friends praised her this much.

"Well." He took a journal and charcoal from somewhere within his cloak. "Would you mind telling me what happened?"

Slowly and carefully, Izuku recounted the story to him.

First, she told him about being thrown into the ocean with Momo and Tsuyu. Then what they saw the men do to Aizawa, how Tomura had tried to kill her and her friends, the liking he now has for her.

She told him their names and quirks, about the fight and Nomu, and with difficulty, the words Tomura had whispered in her ear.

The promise he made to take her away the next time they met.

She even told him her suspicions about them being connected with the Dark Lands.

In the end, Izuku was sitting at the edge of her bed, holding onto Toshinori's own hand as he comforted her.

"I apologize for bringing up such a traumatic experience again, but you are the one that gave us the most information." He closed his journal and with a hand on her shoulder and a smile on his face, he said, "Thank you, Midoriya-san, your help today was invaluable."

Naomasa let go of her shoulder and walked back to the table to grab his hat. With it on his head, he said, "I will talk to you later, Toshi, now, excuse me King Yagi, Princess Midoriya." And with that he went out the door, leaving a spluttering Izuku.

"D-did h-he ju-just…?"

Toshinori chuckled, applying pressure to her hand.

"He did indeed," his tone became serious, "you shouldn't get so nervous about it, sooner or later the people are going to start calling you that."

"Yeah… but I'd rather have it happen later." Green met blue. "Me becoming 'Princess' means you can't be a hero anymore."

"Not necessarily, you see, the Tournament is coming up soon, and there you younglings show your powers and whatnot, but as I called for it to be a successor focused event, there isn't a chance that people won't see your potential."

Izuku frowned. "I still don't understand how this tournament works."

"Well let me be honest, I haven't been paying attention to it ever since I became King, too much paperwork, and my predecessor died not long after she made it public that I was the next in line. However, after a long talk with Nezu, he explained to me how it actually happens."

The man sat straighter on his cot. "As you should know, Yuuei's throne isn't hereditary, it's meant for the strongest, the one person with the kindest and most selfless heart, that is how the people see it. But behind the scenes, there's, of course, the One for All part. And as we can't just come up to the population and tell them that they have to trust a stranger, we use the tournament to show you off. Normally, after the three years of 'Promotional Tournament' so to speak, I would have to present to the people the successor as they stand on the top of the podium."

Everything was going great for Izuku. She had time to get used to all of this, but then he said 'top of the podium', and she started to freak out.

She had to win at least the last tournament and make a perfect image for herself on the first two.

But she didn't have a grasp on her quirk, and the first event was in a month or so, she would fare horribly!

She would, without a shadow of a doubt, break all her bones, then Chiyo would be super mad and probably whack her in the head, but heal her anyway, then she would be too tired to compete, and she would have failed Toshi-

"Hey!" The blond's voice boomed in the stone-wall room. "Calm down. Yes, we only have a little more than a month, but you can do it, I trust you."

She avoided his eyes. "I just don't see how I'm going to master One for All in a month, Toshi."

He stayed silent, feeling his gaze on her, Izuku started to squirm under it until she looked back up and saw the appalled expression he wore.

"W-what?" She stuttered.

"It is impossible for you to master One for All in a month." His words cut through her, making her think about her earlier promise about not disappointing him, soon after trying to curl into herself.

"Sor-"

"No, Izuku," he said, his voice stern, his eyes locking her in her place. "No one could master One for All in a month. I didn't, that's for sure. But I'm not asking you to."

"No?"

"Of course not!" He chuckled. "What I want us to focus on is making sure you, at least, don't break your bones, do you understand?"

Izuku nodded, relief washing over her when she understood that Toshinori wasn't mad at her.

At that moment, Chiyo entered the room and seeing the teen awake she gave her and Toshi clean sets of clothes and told them to change and to _'get the hell out of her office'_, making sure that Izuku understood to come to see her first thing in the morning to heal her elbow.

Each one took turns on the bathroom. Izuku had particular difficulty in passing her injured arm through the whole of the sleeveless dress without jolting it too much, but once it was secured over her shoulder, the rest was a piece of cake.

Toshinori carefully put her cloak over her shoulders, Chiyo handed her torn clothes. She really had to buy new ones, should she ask the girls for help?

Izuku just imagines the chaos it would be.

Toshinori walked her to her building, promising to meet each other the next couple of days to train.

Emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted, Izuku just wanted to grab something to eat, maybe take a bath and without a shadow of a doubt sleep.

But again, she wasn't getting what she wanted today.

When she entered the stone-walled building, cries started to echo her name.

"Izuku!" The girls yelled as they plummeted against her body, nearly bringing her to the ground.

"We were so worried! First, you were at that creepy men's hold, then you passed out, and Cementoss-Sensei didn't let anyone get closer to you, Bakugo and the King. And when Bakugo came with you in his arms, he literally growled when we came close!" Ochaco ratted on when Izuku was freed from their pressuring hold, most of them nodding in agreement.

Izuku pushed the thought of Katsuki acting like an overprotective wolf with her, bloody and unconscious form on his arms from her mind as quickly as it appeared. It wasn't the time for that and whatever it could entail. Not that it could mean anything but a concerned friend, but-

_'Not the moment!'_

"I'm fine," Izuku tried to reassure them, but their eyes landed on her arm, and the glare they directed her way made her laugh uncomfortably.

"Then what is this, Midoriya-san?" Momo asked, her arms crossed.

"Why didn't Shuzenji-san heal it?" Mina asked.

"She said I don't have enough stamina," she explained.

"I'm sorry we weren't able to help-" Tsuyu started, but Izuku stopped her.

"You guys would've been in danger if you had, but I'm grateful that we are all okay, that's what matters." Her eyes regarded the other twenty people around, lingering a bit over Shoto, Eijiro and Katsuki, the three who had been the closest to her when she had been taken.

"But you should be more careful, Midoriya-san, it is the second time you have been injured by a villain's occurrence, and third because of your Quirk," Tenya said, his face set in an impassible expression.

Izuku averted her eyes. "Sorry for worrying you guys, I-" her words were cut due to a yawn.

Multiple sighs followed. "You should sleep, Midoriya-san, it's getting late," Momo told her, to which Izuku nodded with a big smile.

Ochaco handed her a piece of bread and cheese in it before she started to walk, but then she remembered something. "Uhm, girls?" she asked, making the six girls look at her with concerned and curious eyes. "I was wondering if you would accompany me tomorrow to the market to buy some clothes?" She chuckled. "The ones I packed have been destroyed because of the recent... uhm... accidents."

Without even a second to spare they nodded, all worry dissipating from their features.

After that, Izuku ate her dinner, wished them good night, patted Tenya on the arm and shared a smile with him. He had become like a brother to her, and she hated worrying him, and anyone for that matter.

She then hugged Eijiro and Denki who seemed to have been fretting, but when she left them, they looked like happy puppies.

And when she reached the stairs, she met with Shoto who was sitting on the last step. He stared at her elbow then back at her eyes. "I am sorry for not doing more to help you."

"No worries." She applied some pressure to his shoulder in reassurance, the boy's features softening just barely.

"Come, Deku!" Katsuki growled on her ear, ripping her arm from Shoto's shoulder and dragging her up her stairs.

"K-Kacchan!" she yelped. "What was that for?"

"Ya're still fuckin' healin', nerd, and those extras are wastin' your time!"

"Well, you aren't helping either!" she exclaimed.

Izuku sincerely didn't understand what had gotten into him, but he has been acting angrier than usual, and don't think for a second she forgot about the secret he was keeping from her.

For some reason, it all made her so mad that the instant they reached her floor, she ripped her arm from his hold. His red eyes snapped back to her direction, but before he could say anything, she jabbed her finger into his chest. "What in the seven rings of hell are you so angry about?" She hissed.

"I'm not!" He hissed back, but she didn't let him.

"Then why do you keep pulling me like a dog on a leash since we met again? And why do you have a secret you won't talk to me about when I, literally, told you all the secrets that could get me and the King killed!" She whispered-yelled, really hoping no one could hear them.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out, his face getting redder and redder by the second.

Katsuki huffed, weaving his fingers on his spiky hair, exasperated and angry. "I can't tell ya about it, Deku, I fuckin' told ya that."

"But I don't understand why!" She cried, her eyes filling with tears.

This situation was tearing her heart apart. It was as if Katsuki was abandoning her, keeping himself away from her, and soon enough there would be a chasm between them, and she wasn't sure if they would be able to meet again on the same side.

"Listen," Katsuki broke the silence, and she looked at him, silently praying he would just tell her already. "I can't tell you about it." He raised his hand when she opened her mouth to protest. "But it's not 'cause I don't trust ya, shitty nerd." He placed his hands on her arms gently, as she tried to find anything to debunk what he was saying, but she didn't find anything.

"Why can't you tell me?"

He looked upwards, his right eye started to twitch in irritation, but he answered, "It's somethin' the old hag told me to do as I'm getting crowned and officially becomin' King, so I have to do it alone."

"But Eijichan and Minachan know."

"Yeah, dumbass, 'cause they were fuckin' there when she said it." His cheeks reddened again. "It was fuckin' embarrassin'."

Izuku frowned, did he just admit to having been embarrassed?

"You? Embarrassed?" She asked, trying very hard to hold back her smile.

"'Cause it's fuckin' weird." He stopped for a second, as if he just caught up to what he said, and glared at her. "Anythin' else?" he asked.

Even though she understood he was being sarcastic, Izuku asked, making her way towards her room, knowing he would follow her. "Why are you still here at Yuuei? And taking the hero courses?"

"'Cause I know ya gonna get yourself killed without me around." He gave her a pointed look. "And I defeated everyone back in the Tribe, was lookin' for a challenge."

Izuku laughed against her will, she was still mad at him, and a bit suspicious about this whole ordeal, but she knew Katsuki, and he might be kind of aloof and maybe even a huge jerk, he wasn't a liar. It just rubbed her the wrong way the fact that a secret was left untold.

When they were in front of her room, she opened the door, an awkward stillness hanging over them until he placed his hand over the one she was holding the door with, and said, "as soon as I can, I will tell you about it, 'kay, 'Zuku?"

She gave him a small smile at the nickname and nodded, sadness clear on her eyes.

He mimicked the motion, then with a whispered ''Night' he left her with her thoughts.

Izuku closed her door, leaning on it for what felt like hours as she watched the stars shining at the end of this horrible day.

When her legs started to wobble, and her eyes felt heavy from tiredness, she made her way to her bed, and without taking a bath, she sunk into the fuzzy sheets and instantly fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Sooooo... How was it?**

**Tell me what you thought of it, it fuels me to do better.**


	10. Young Burdened Mind

**Heeeey! Look who is late.**

**I'm sorry. But let's get this one over with, I had some trouble with it and I might come back to change it a bit.**

**But enjoy!**

* * *

Two days after what became the USJ incident, Izuku got out of bed at the crack of dawn.

She woke up earlier from some birds hitting her balcony and Denki's sobs after Tomura disintegrated him.

And when she tried to go back to sleep, she had tossed and turned, unsuccessfully.

She hadn't had much sleep yesterday, and today didn't seem any better.

Izuku hadn't gone out the day before because of that, Ochaco or Mina had come by to bring her something to eat, but no more human contact as Chiyo had been asked to stay the day at the hospital, meaning the teenager still had the bandages on her arm.

A couple of tosses and turns later, she understood rest wouldn't come to her anymore, so she decided to take a bath.

Careful with her bandaged arm, she cleaned herself until all sweat was gone. She pulled her green dress over her white undershirt on then thick socks plus her red boots, her cloak over it all and made her way to Chiyo's office.

She wasn't used to this cold. Back home, the temperature was rarely low enough, so it snowed. And as she walked around and saw the people with clothes as there hadn't been snow covering their roof three days before, she just tightened her cloak around herself a bit more.

When she arrived at the door, the old woman was just opening up.

"Went to see how Eraserhead and Thirteen are doing at the main hospital," she had said, knowing very well the girl's curiosity as she had rushed her inside, and before Izuku could ask for more details, she continued, "Thirteen should be discharged tomorrow, Eraserhead in a couple of days."

But the look in her eyes seemed to know something Izuku didn't.

It just made the girl fearful.

After that, things went quite fast.

Chiyo told her to put her cloak on the hanger, pull her sleeve up and sit on the cot, then with her supplies set on the table beside the bed, she kissed the girl on the forehead.

Izuku had slumped a bit, still tired from her restless nights, but didn't fall over.

The old woman freed her arm from the white cloth, cleaning it to make sure the skin was completely healed.

It was, a small scar on her elbow's sensitive skin was the only thing left.

And with a clipped expression, Chiyo had sent her away.

That was never good.

The walk back had been a daze, and when her door was closed again, she quickly shut the curtains she had left open and sunk back into bed, hoping that the exhaustion would take her away from reality, but still stay clear from the nightmares.

Izuku thought she was on a roll because the moment consciousness took over, she found herself in the cage again.

This time, however, Tomura was in front of her, both on their knees, no bodies in sight.

Which, what a relief!

"You know," he said as he toyed with the hand on his face. "We will stand by each other in battle one day, and we will trust each other with our lives as we take down those who want to control us."

His voice was small, in a tone Izuku had never heard before, and she sincerely didn't know if it was worse or better.

"Why are you saying that?" She asked, trying to untangle herself from the chains that have been keeping her locked in there. And maybe get away from the pool of blood and the psycho.

"Because it's true."

"I will never fight beside you. You hurt my teach|r, nearly killed me." She shook her head, her short hair hitting her in the face as blood smeared all over her cheeks.

How did it get on her hair?

Before she could come up with an explanation, he spoke again.

"You will." He looked up at her, his crimson eyes twinkling with unadulterated glee. "You will even ask me to."

And as he spoke those words, four of his fingers closed over the golden end of his Hand-Mask. And, to Izuku's surprise and horror, he pulled it away from his face.

But before she could see it, booming knocks echoed through her stone-walled room, bringing her back to reality.

Izuku immediately sat straighter on her bed, panting as her eyes looked around to make sure that Tomura wasn't here with her.

Why had she dreamed of that?

Had her mind made that all up? No, that wasn't even a question, of course, it had, but she had never heard such a calm and collected tone coming from Tomura.

Not that she knew him for that long.

Not understanding anything, Izuku folded back into herself over the covers, trying to block the unrelenting sounds and fall back asleep. But apparently whoever was on the other side had different plans.

With a grumble, Izuku forced herself away from the comfort of her sheets, fingers trying to free her eyes from the sleepiness and from those eerie crimson orbs that still danced around her mind.

When she opened the door, it was a sight to behold on both sides.

Mina, Ochaco and Toru were the ones that had been banging at her door, the two visible ones with big excited smiles. Kyoka, with a strained look on her face, had one of her hands on Mina's wrist, the other on Toru's shoulder, her daggered earlobes wrapped around Ochaco's waist, pulling the three girls away from the door.

Momo and Tsuyu were on both sides of Kyoka, hands raised in an attempt to calm them down.

But as the door was pulled open, all six girls froze, words dying on their tongues, hands raised over their heads ready to knock again, eyes bulging at the sight of the mess that Izuku was.

Wrinkled, messy, sleepy, and maybe a bit sweaty really didn't give anyone the idea that she was okay.

"Wow, you look worse than yesterday," Mina said, surprised.

Izuku didn't give the pink girl an answer, just went back inside her room to flop on her comfy bed. "What are you guys doing here?"

"You asked us to accompany you yesterday to replenish your wardrobe, but as you were quite tired we decided to postpone it, aren't you well enough yet?" Momo explained, following her inside the room.

The three that had been hitting her door without a second thought seemed to catch on to the words. Guilt, then, washing over their faces.

But the greenette wasn't really paying attention.

Yeah, she had asked for their help, and Izuku was grateful that they gave her a whole day to replenish her energy, that hadn't been because of those nightmares, but did this have to happen so early?

"What time is it?" Izuku asked as she looked at the curtains she had closed when she arrived earlier.

"Nearly twelve," Ochaco answered as she opened Izuku's closet and Tsuyu opened the curtains, letting the sun drench the room.

"Already?" Izuku was standing in a second, all traces of slumber ripped from her body.

Her sleeping cycle had been thrown out the window a long time ago, and apparently, she was getting it back any time soon.

"Yeah, so… are we going?" Toru asked, her clothes jumping in front of Izuku, then the greenette's clothes were pulled straighter, the invisible one taking care of her messy appearance.

All five other pairs of eyes landed on her, Hope gleaming on them.

Izuku sighed but nodded with a small smile, indulging her friends' desires.

Maybe it would get her head out of the nightmares.

After that, Mina grabbed one of her hands, Toru took the other, while Kyoka pushed her out the door.

It was decided, this was one of the worst ideas Izuku Midoriya ever had. She had made so many of those, she was sincerely impressed.

But soon enough, meaning, after a bag of food was handed to her by 'Mama' Ochaco, Izuku relaxed, letting herself enjoy her friends' excitement.

The teenager sincerely didn't know where she would be without Ochaco being there to save her ass.

"So… what do you intend to buy?" Momo asked with a small smile and a cock of her head.

"Uhm… I have to get more tunics and leggings, and maybe a couple of vests. And I was hoping we could find some kind of special gear for my quirk," Izuku listed, but then it hit her, she might not have enough money.

She pried her hands from the girls' tight grips and ruffled around the bag Ochaco had given her, taking her bag of coins out.

She quickly counted and deflated a bit.

"I might not have enough to buy the gear though."

Ever since Izuku got to Yuuei, she didn't need to buy anything. The food, room and training were all given, 'the desire to save people should not be thwarted by the likes of money, my girl!' the King had said once, so they were only expected to keep the place clean, and make due with what was offered.

But the money her mother gave her when she left had dwindled a bit, as she had to buy more supplies on her way here.

"Yes, you won't be able to do much with that small amount," Momo agreed, but her smile only grew. "I would be glad to buy it for you!"

Izuku choked on her own spit. "I can't accept it, Yaoyorozu-san, it's too much! I will just have to make sure what I'm buying is essential."

"Oh it's nothing really, and call me Yaomomo."

"Believe it, Midoriya," Kyoka cut through her new wave of excuses. "Yaomomo is so rich she doesn't know where to put the money."

With a sigh, Izuku didn't argue anymore, but she was mentally going to count how much she got, not wanting to abuse her friend's goodwill.

Or she might just buy it herself anyway.

"You are the princess from Carmeda, that's why you are rich, right Yaomomo?" Ochaco asked, which the black-haired girl nodded as they walked down the stairs.

"I heard stories from travellers that Carmeda is the richest Kingdom in Creslia, well… at least ever since Mitra fell, and that it's full of merchants and innovations!" Mina said with a cheer and zero tact.

"Yes, it is true, but I'd rather be the princess of the second richest Kingdom if what I heard about Mitra is correct."

Momo Yaoyorozu was a clever girl, Izuku had to give to her.

Izuku felt their stares as they walked outside, burning hotter than the sun. She knew it would come up at some point, but not this soon.

"Is it true, Izuchan? Are you the daughter of the Nameless King from the stories?" Tsuyu straight out asked.

Izuku let the morning sunlight hit her face for an instant before answering. "I am."

"So is your mom, like, The Lost Princess?" Toru inquired.

"Yeah, but I only discovered it a month ago. Mom hated talking about her past."

"Understandable." Kyoka nodded.

"The stories did say that she was taken away, but I was so sure she, you know, lived happily ever after with the Knight," Ochaco admitted with pinkening cheeks.

Izuku smiled at that. "Yeah, me too." The smile fell a bit. "She told me she was scared all the time. For her family. For Mitra. For herself. For me. Until his Majesty came and saved her."

"Wait!" Pink hands stopped Izuku's motion. "'His Majesty'? As if in, his Majesty, King Yagi?"

Izuku's green eyes jumped around their shocked faces, then she slowly nodded, brows furrowed.

"Oh my- I knew there was something more when he mentioned your mom!" O back exclaimed with a sudden jump.

It took an instant for Izuku to understand, but when she did, her face split in a conspiratorial smile as the memory of the sweet look on Toshinori's face when they met. "Right?"

All girls chuckled at that.

"Well," Momo said when they fell silent, "when his Majesty told us about it, I thought about how brave it was of you to want to fight your father. So, if you need us, just ask, yes?" Momo took the hand Toru had been holding and squeezed.

"Hell yeah, we are helping! Won't be letting a sister go down without backup!" Mina pressed against her side.

Izuku's eyes pooled a bit, but nodded, not trusting her voice to express her happiness.

"But, like, does your mom still have something from back then?" Toru asked, her dress swooshing around to indicate she was walking backwards.

"The sword I have is the one she stole when fleeing, and she still has the jewellery that she escaped with and all, it's in my room."

"You have her jewellery?!"

And after that, it was one question after the other about it. Even though Izuku didn't know what they were talking about half of the time.

It went on until they arrived at the market in the centre of the town.

"We totally have to get you things that match with the jewels!" Mina said with an unhinged look in her eyes that made Izuku fear for her friend's sanity.

"Sure…"

The pink girl's expression came back to normal as the rest of the girls looked around, carefully picking up the clothes. Ochaco had told them about what she found in her wardrobe, and they all came to the consensus that Izuku wouldn't be the one choosing the clothes.

She agreed, she simply didn't have a sense of fashion, but Izuku did expect them to ask her if she would at least use them.

"Izuchan?" Mina asked in a calm tone Izuku didn't know she could use, apparently, today was the day people started changing their voices. "His Majesty's birthday is coming soon, are you going to buy him anything for your exchange?"

Izuku's brain stopped for a second, suddenly asking herself 'what day is it?'

"April the fifteenth," Mina answered, meaning Izuku had asked that out loud.

"Oh, no! I have five days to buy him something, but I don't have any ideas! And he will totally know if I wing it!"

Her fingers tangled in her hair as panic gripped at her mind. Izuku stared around her, trying to find anything that would save her from the fact that she had forgotten her best friend's birthday was coming up.

It had become a tradition for the two childhood friends to give each other their birthday presents on Katsuki's birthday. Eijiro used to too, but he forgot about it half of the time and only got them weird presents, so they had decided to free him from the excruciating task of getting a gift.

And now Izuku was the one who forgot!

Mina stopped her spiralling mind by placing her hands on her shoulders. "Relax, Izuchan, I got you covered."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember when you said you wanted to get some gear for your quirk?" The pink girl asked with a cheeky smile, but Izuku only nodded, way too desperate to try to decipher the girl's intentions. "Well, his Majesty was being grumpy about his old braces, saying they were getting lax around his arms or whatever, so when we go buy your gear, you can buy him a new pair!"

Izuku did remember she hadn't seen him wear his braces, which was kind of dangerous with his powerful quirk.

"That's a brilliant idea, Minachan!" Izuku thanked her when the thought clicked, hugging her tightly.

She was saved!

Katsuki was very picky about his things.

They had to be useful and should last long, so buying him anything that could be easily replaced wouldn't do.

"Yeah, yeah I'm amazing, but don't stop yourself from buying anything that makes you remember him!" She pointed out, and Izuku nodded, calmer already.

She would get him the best braces ever, and he wouldn't yell at her!

Well, he would, it is Katsuki Bakugo after all, but he wouldn't be pissed.

"Izuchan! I think we got everything!" Kyoka's voice reached her a couple of minutes later from the other side of the shop they had stopped at.

"Well, here I go!"

It took them three hours for them to decide on which clothes Izuku would be getting, meaning that it took two for Izuku to try on all the clothes while the six others would approve or not, varying from tunics to dresses to leggings and a very uncomfortable corset that Toru had chosen that everyone agreed to not take with them.

Then it took a whole other hour of Momo trying to convince Izuku to let her pay.

In the end, Ochaco made her float then dragged her away from the shop while Momo paid.

After that, she was dragged to the place where they sold gear, and there they met Hagiri Majima, a short man with claws.

"Hello girls, how can I help you?" He greeted them.

This time, the girls let Izuku speak. "Hi, I'm Izuku Midoriya. I'm here because I need some gear to stop or at least help with the drawbacks of my quirk."

The man came closer and motioned with his hand for her to proceed.

"My quirk gives me super strength and speed, but I can't control it very well yet, so it breaks my bones, but I was wondering if you could make some kind of braces for my arms and hands."

Majima stared at her for a long while, pondering her request.

"Aren't you a teenager? Why wouldn't you be able to control your own quirk?!"

That made Izuku immediately blush, and the others giggle. "I'm… a late bloomer," she said, shyly.

"Well." He huffed. "You want a brace glove?" He resumed to which she nodded emphatically. "Okay, I don't have one of those at the moment for you to test, but I could make one up for you, I'll need your measurements and design."

"And what about the price?" She asked, concerned.

He stopped the backwards motion he was making for a second, "I suppose you are in the Hero Course?"

She nodded again, showing him the paper Aizawa had given her, and everyone else, proving she was.

"This will be going on their tab, then."

That made her sigh. Great, at least she wouldn't have to worry about money.

She would have to ask Toshinori how to earn some over here as she didn't intend on exploiting her friend's kindness.

After that, she gave him the measurements he needed, they worked up a design, and her part was done.

"Well, it should be ready next week. It's a pleasure to meet you, girls!" And he started walking away.

"Wait!" Izuku nearly shouted, spooking not only her friends and the man but also the passersby.

"I… actually need something else."

He came back their way, leaning on the stand between them.

"You see, this friend of mine's birthday is coming up, and I want to give him a present, but I didn't know what to give him, but Minachan told me that he was needing some braces, and I was, 'you are a genius', and-" Izuku mumbled, until a pink hand landed on her shoulder, effectively shutting her up.

"Another couple of braces then?"

"Yep," Mina answered for her.

Then they did the same thing for Katsuki's braces: design, measurements, which Mina had painstakingly investigated for Izuku to have them memorised.

At the end, when Majima offered to put it on Yuuei's tab, Izuku had refused, she wanted to buy his gift on her own.

With some of the money she had, she bought the braces, he told her it should be ready Tuesday, one day before Katsuki's birthday, and with that all seven girls walked back to the castle, each holding one bag with Izuku's clothes.

"Do you think he will like it?" Izuku asked in a small voice, suddenly nervous.

Mina gave her one big smile. "Oh, he is gonna love it! You can trust me!"

Izuku sighed, really hoping Mina was right.

When they arrived back at Heights Alliance, they found the boys in the common area joking around.

Well… Eijiro, Denki and Hanta were joking around.

Katsuki was glaring at them fiercely, surprising Izuku that they were even alive.

Shoto was sitting at the kitchen table with a frown on his face and a letter on his hands.

Tenya was waving around for them to calm down.

Yuga was trying to get their attention, shining like a star.

And Minoru had been yelling about where the girls were.

The only ones that seemed to be calm and normal were Mashirao, Mezo and Fumikage who were dealing with the dragons.

Rikido and Koji, who were both in the kitchen preparing something.

And Hitoshi was nowhere to be seen, like most days at this hour. He only woke up when he was hungry.

But when the girls entered the room, Silence fell over the space.

Kyoka, on her usual sassy way, raised one of her eyebrows and asked, "what stupid thing have you been talking about, Kaminari?"

Denki, who had been bowed at the waist, pushing his face into Katsuki's space, straightened in a second, a smug smile on his face. "I feel bad that you assume I said anything! But it's nothing, just a little secret I learned about his Majestic Explosion, right Bakugo?"

If looks could kill, Denki would be seven feet under with the glare that Katsuki directed his way.

"Come on, bro, that ain't manly!" Eijiro tried, fidgety.

In an instant, Izuku understood.

He let something slip.

Typical Eijiro 'Big Mouth' Kirishima.

"It might not be manly, but it sure is funny!" Hanta said.

"What are you guys even talking about?" Izuku asked, picking her bags from the other girls, keeping Minoru at the corner of her eyes as he made his way towards them.

"It's just their moronic talk, Deku," Katsuki spat, getting up and placing his cape back on his shoulders, bumping it hard against Denki's chest, making the other blond to flinch. "Went shoppin' I see, finally decided to get somethin' that ain't ripped at the fuckin' seams?" he remarked, picking the rest of the bag with a huff. "Come on."

And with that, he left towards the stairs.

"What got into him?" Ochaco wondered out loud, but Izuku didn't know.

The greenette shrugged, thanked the girls and quickly followed the explosive blond before he started yelling.

When she got to her hallway, Katsuki was leaning against the wall, his face set in a frown, like most of the time, but this one made her conclude that he was in more profound thought than usual.

She decided not to say anything, just pass the one bag on her right hand to her left, and open her door.

He quietly followed, and both of them placed her bags in front of her wardrobe. She would take care of them later.

Katsuki hanged his cloak, leaving him on his winter tunic then sat at her desk chair as Izuku flopped backwards on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

"I sometimes hate those morons," Katsuki admitted with a click of his tongue.

"Oh, only sometimes? I swore you wanted to strangle Eijiro just the other day." The laughter on her voice earned her another click.

"He just doesn't know when to shut up!"

Izuku hummed in agreement.

Everyone who knew Eijiro for long enough knew to not tell him any kind of secrets. He would just spill it without intention.

That conclusion made her worried about her father's issue. It would be problematic if he told someone outside the castle about it.

"How's your arm?"

"Fine, I'm sure that if Shuzenji-san could, she would ban me from the Hero Course, though."

"Anybody would, dumbass. Who can be so much of an idiot to get hurt by their own quirk?" He said after a scoff.

"Kacchan," she said, glancing at his general direction, as he simply hummed. "Your mean side is showing."

"Oh, shut up!"

Izuku giggled at that. It had been some time since they last talked like this.

"But did you want to talk about something, or was I just your scapegoat?" Izuku wondered out-loud.

"Totally a scapegoat, but-" he let out a growl that made her sit up slightly.

Katsuki, who had been hunching over, got up, then plopped beside her on the bed.

They had slept beside each other a million times, had woken up tangled just as many. But for some reason, the way their bodies touched from their shoulders to their knees made her blush.

Izuku's mind started racing, what was he doing? Did he do this on purpose? But why would he?

"Deku!" She startled out of her brain, whipping her head towards him.

'Why was she even thinking about this?' is the real question.

Katsuki was further away now, and if she wasn't still a bit shocked, she might have noticed his own blush.

"Did ya even pay attention to what I said, shitty nerd?"

Izuku bit her lip around the sheepish smile, face red.

The blond huffed. "I fucking said that, at the end of Spring, the old hag is heading up this way, and I bet she will bring Auntie with her."

Izuku sat up straight then hunched over him in her excitement. "Really?"

But without even letting him answer, she jumped out of her bed and started muttering something incomprehensible to Katsuki. Which was a feat all in on itself.

But it wasn't the happiness that was there before.

Her voice was full of fear.

"Hey! Calm the fuck down! Mutterin' for a lifetime ain't gonna do shit!"

"Yeah! But there are so many things that could happen when she arrives!" Izuku exclaimed, her hands flying about.

"'If' she comes," he interjected, now leaning his upper body on his forearms to take in her panicked state easier.

"Oh come on, Kacchan, you know your mom! She wouldn't leave my mom there on her own!"

Izuku's face was set on a frown, worry plastered all over.

His scowl deepened. But the greenette was right.

Mitsuki Bakugo was a super-protective woman.

"And when she comes, where will she stay? Will it be safe? Would my father try something? What would she say about One for All? Would it affect-"

"Izuku!" He cut through her rambling.

"Sorry…" She placed her shaking hands over her face. "It's just… she was s-so sad wh-when she tol-told me ab-about all of this!" She sobbed.

Katsuki had grown a lot, personality-wise, since he first met Izuku, but he still didn't know how to deal with her tears.

Sometimes he would yell at her to stop crying, others he would just stare at her, unknowing what to do.

But he knew he couldn't do any of those, so first Katsuki got up, then with indecisive hands, he carefully touched her arms, and to his shock and confusion, she slammed herself against his chest, now full-on crying.

Speechless like every time it happened, Katsuki let her cry herself out, slowly making circular motions with his right hand as his left one held her close, both of them heating up with his quirk for extra comfort, or at least he hoped.

He really was horrible at this. Not that he would ever admit to being bad at anything to anyone.

Minutes passed, but neither one of them paid it any mind, only letting go of each other when Izuku stopped crying.

"Sorry."

"What are ya apologisin' for? It's not like I've never seen ya cry, nerd."

She simply shrugged, her eyes hidden behind her green locks.

Izuku felt weak for breaking like this in front of him.

However, she'd rather it be Katsuki than anyone else.

But, oh how he didn't let anything slip past him. That made him a great warrior, but it did make it hard for her to keep her easy-to-read emotions from him as he moved her head, so she was facing him.

"Ya haven't slept, have ya?" He asked simply, his face set in a worried frown.

"It's nothing."

"Oh please, Izuku, don't give that bullshit!"

She averted her eyes again before taking in a deep breath.

"I'm having nightmares every time I fall asleep."

"And ya didn't think to say somethin' about it?"

"What can anyone do about it, Kacchan!" Her big green eyes stared at him, hoping for anything that would liberate her from the torment.

"Well, ya could… I don't fuckin' know!"

"See." Izuku took his hands from her arms and walked around him towards her bed to sit.

The blond stared at her exasperated by this pessimistic Izuku that he didn't know.

"If ya gonna act like that, shit ain't gonna get better, nerd," he scolded.

Izuku cocked an eyebrow at him.

Was Katsuki, the boy with the sourest mood she ever had the pleasure (displeasure?) t meet, giving her advice about her rancid temperament?

She quickly glanced outside to make sure the sun was still there.

"Uhm, the old man nags me about opening up or I'll self-explode, or some shit," he explained, one of his hands on his neck.

"Since when do you listen to what Uncle Masaru, or Auntie Mitsuki for that matter, says?"

"Ever since they decided to let me take part in the tribe's meetin's, smartass!"

"But what do you even want me to do!"

He rolled his red eyes at her, then placed her desk chair in front of her and sat down.

"What are the nightmares about?"

When Izuku was ten, she had been running through the woods around Olind, her hometown. It had been a beautiful summer day, and she was really trying to go the day without having anyone call her Quirkless. But when she had reached a clearing that she and the boys used as their secret hideout, she found a faun and its mother.

Their eyes had locked, and the fear in the deer's orbs was so abundant that all Izuku had done at the time was slowly back away.

She supposed she had had that same look two days ago when she first saw Tomura.

And she was pretty sure she had it now too.

"Wh-wha...?"

"You heard me."

She shook her head, hugging herself at the feeling of suddenly being too exposed.

Katsuki must have seen the terror that was purring out of her because he sagged on his chair.

"Fine, don't do it, but ya have to get it the fuck out at some point!"

She nodded, thankful.

Then he put the chair back on its place, took his cloak and headed for the door.

"If ya ain't talking I'll be heading out, I still have to kill those three stooges." He opened the door, then glanced at her and smirked. "Sleep some, and punch whatever appears on its ugly face, 'kay?"

Izuku giggled and nodded as he closed the door behind him.

When she was sure he was gone, her smile fell, the image of Tomura and her on their knees, blood everywhere flashing on her mind.

Yeah, it would take some time for her to get rid of that.

* * *

**So, what do you guys think? I had half a mind to take that last part out, but then it just felt too little of Katsuki... and I do love my sweet and explosive boy.**

**But do give me some feedback, those give me life.**

**Good day everybody!**


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